


Briar Heart

by tinyko



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Art, He's Been Around, Kinda, M/M, Modern Character in Middle Earth, Mutual Pining, Self-Insert, Slow Burn, alright time to slam the breaks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:29:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 24,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25603603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinyko/pseuds/tinyko
Summary: It happened once again. Leo finds himself in a world unfamiliar to him, though at least this time, he knows how it happened.Self insert, using a lot of elements from Critical Role, explanation in the first chapter. Now featuring some of my art!
Relationships: Thranduil (Tolkien)/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 29





	1. Foreword

yeehaw so i wanted to start this self insert story off with a foreword.

so because i came off a critical role fixation right into a hobbit/lotr fixation, i kinda just shoved my self insert i spent this entire quarantine creating into lotr so **spoiler alert** for critical role.

like **big time** spoilers. i talk about things that happen in canon in critical role, specifically **episode 26, episode 30, episode 69 and episode 86** along with smaller things from various other episodes but those 4 episodes i talk about Major Spoilers.

so if you're currently listening/watching cr and are not caught up or plan to get into it but don't want spoilers, maybe,, come back

anyway for those who don't care about spoilers or aren't interested here are some things to know:

• moorbounders are a real creature in critical role, i didn't make them up! matt mercer made them and their stats are online and they're a really interesting creature! 

• my self insert had the ability to basically isekai himself into a random world. he couldn't control which one he went into but he found himself in the critical role world and spent 3 years there, 2 years in the circus with yasha and molly and then 1 year w the mighty nein.

• his home world is one that critical role or the hobbit series don't exist, there are stuff that are similar maybe who knows, no one cares about those details anyway.

• shakäste is a guest character and i headcanon him as also being isekai'd.

• currently (as of july 2020) the mighty nein are on an island called rumblecusp that canonically has portals and things that should not exist on that world such as legit dinosaurs. they straight up almost fought a t rex.

• because of this ^ i felt it was fairly plausible that my self insert could have be sent to a completely different world by accident.

• sehanine, the moonweaver, is a goddess from critical role lore that i have latched onto and so made my self insert latch onto.

• there are like 4 other "champions" of gods in the group - fjord and caduceus are champions of melora, the wildmother, yasha is a champion of kord, the stormlord and jester is a champion of artagan, the traveller - so that's not just me making my self insert special.

• also re:^ i don't fucking care if my self insert is """"special"""" or mary sue or whatever i'm having fun during this Shit Ass Time and i wanted to share the fun i'm having with this.

• because critical role is a dungeons and dragons podcast, i've been using my ranger wood elf's base stats for my self insert so that's where i got the archery stuff and the Incredibly High Dex (he's got a fucking 20 dex).

• i didn't wanna tag this as critical role because since it's focused on my self insert rather than a canonical character in middle earth, it didn't feel right to do so.

some other things that aren't critical role or dnd related

• i am autistic and have depression + ptsd so self inserting is one of my Biggest Coping Methods.

• i am gay and trans and identify as two spirit.

• on that note i am also native, half coquille half white.

• i wrote these in snippets and they are all connected but i didn't wanna get repetitive or rush through uninteresting parts.

• bc of this ^ i may end up either jumping around in the timeline and making it non linear or going back and adding in chapters where they would make sense chronologically.

• all of łi's commands are in tututni and i'll list the translations and what command they are in the authors note sections on the chapters that it applies to.


	2. Chapter 1

Something about this world is calming. Between the lush greenery, the massive evergreen trees, the shimmering, cold water, it is stunningly beautiful and calming. 

Though, nonetheless, a young man finds himself still tense and unnerved, distraught and exhausted. He guides his large beast through the rolling hills, murmuring words of encouragement partly for his companion and partly for himself. His clothes are thick and warm, his long, black hair pulled from his face and tied loosely on his head in some semblance of a bun. His fingers, bare and cold, twist into the leather of the reins he holds.

The beast appears just as tense and distressed as his rider. He stands nearly seven feet from the ground to his highest point - the centre of his shoulders - and fifteen feet long, from nose tip to his stumpy tail. Coarse, short black fur covers his body, showcasing his muscular form. He is almost panther like, clearly built for speed and power. His ears are small and rounded, his eyes yellow and almost bulging, his nose depressed and his whiskers long. His paws are nearly the size of his rider's head.

"It's alright, Łi. The old wizard said to meet somewhere near here. We can find a way home then."

The beast rumbles beneath him, drawing a sigh from his rider.

"I know, I know. I hate being away from them as well."

The rider tugs his hood over his head as curious round doors start to appear in the sides of the hills. He guides Łi down a beaten path, trying to ignore the glances and looks he receives from the residents of said homes.

Finally he finds the one with the glowing blue mark, just as the old man had said there would be. The young man throws a leg over the head of his beast and slides off, the beast now towering over his small frame. He runs a hand over the creature's nose and kisses his forehead.

"Stay here. Don't eat any farm animals. You ate before we left so just stay right here."

The beast tilts his head and then licks the side of the man's face. The young man chuckles and pats the head of the beast before making his way to the door and knocking.

It's surprising to not have to constantly look up whenever talking to someone. A nice change of pace that he's only experienced a few times. He smiles at the man who answered the door - a tad older than himself, much smaller than him, (which surprises the young man), messy brown hair, a cozy look to his outfit and his home.

"Hello, sorry for the intrusion. I'm looking for an old wizard man?"

Before the man can even reply, a ruckus comes from deeper in the home and the man rushes off, complaining and trying to stop whatever is happening. The younger man, steps inside, closing the door behind him and following inside.

Dwarves swarm the home, loud and rambunctious. Looming in the corner stands the old man he had seen before. He makes his way over, weaving through the dwarves.

"Gandalf? I'm glad I found the right place."

The wizard looks down and smiles, "Leonardo. I am very glad you could make it."

A plate gets chucked across the room, causing the young man to flinch and try to make himself smaller. This is going to be a nightmare.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take - three - command for "come".

Thorin gives Leo a once over, the young man fidgeting uncomfortably. Leo knows he doesn't look the part of a seasoned fighter - he's shorter than the dwarf in front of him, his skin is soft and for the most part is unscarred (from what's showing anyway), he carries no weapon that can be seen.

"You will only be a burden to this group. If you cause us to fall behind, we will leave you."

Leo bites the inside of his cheek and forces his best retail smile to his face, hoping it shows how ticked off he is, "Don't worry about that. I've probably seen more battles than any of you combined."

Thorin scoffs and turns on his heel, "Get him a pony."

"No need for that. I have a mount and I'm much more comfortable on him."

Several dwarves mutter amongst themselves as Leo shifts around and heads out the door, making as little noise as to not wake the poor hobbit in his own home. He grumbles as he leaves the garden, cursing under his breath and rubbing his face.

With a sigh, he looks around for his beast, then huffs, "Łi! _Take_!"

A heartbeat passes and a large, black feline's head pops up from some tall grass, and the beast prances over, blood smeared on his face and a pair of antlers in his mouth. He drops them at Leo's feet and licks the side of his face. Leo laughs, pushing Łi away and picks up the antlers. They're broken at the bottom, snapped off the skull with the beast's jaw or claws.

"Thanks, Łi. Anyway, the leader of this troupe is an insufferable bastard. Don't bite his hand off, alright? We just gotta deal with him until we can find a way home."

While he waits for the others, Leo takes a scrap of cloth from his pack and starts to wipe Łi's face, hoping no one comes out and sees the massive beast covered in the blood of his last meal. Thankfully, none do, and he hauls himself up onto the crude saddle he fashioned several weeks ago. He managed to attach his bag to it as well, and he's so grateful that he came to this world with his belongings.

The door opens, and Leo and Łi both look up. Two of the dwarves, the young man thinks their names are two of the ones that rhyme… they end with "ili", stand at the entrance to the home, mouth agape at the sight of the massive beast.

Leo pats Łi's side, "I told you I was fine."

He hauls himself up into the saddle as several more dwarves file out, pushing around the two younger dwarves.

One of them, one with a balding head covered with tattoos, jumps at the sight of the beast and cusses (or at least, Leo's assumes it's cussing, since it sure sounds like it).

"By Durin's beard, what is that thing?"

Łi rumbles, and paws the ground, chomping on some remains of the deer. Leo smiles widely.

"This is my mount and my best friend, Łi."

"It's not gonna eat us, is it?" The one who asks is the other younger looking dwarf, a sweet person Leo instantly starting to like from dinner the previous night.

"No, he's really a sweetie and unless something poses a danger to me, he's completely harmless."

Thorin is the last out and manages to hide his shock at the moorbounder, "If it causes any trouble, I will put it down."

"Fuck you too," Leo mutters under his breath, "Come on, Łi. We'll bring up the back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take - three - command for "come".


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Łki - white - command for "run"
> 
> i'm also using dnd stats for a lot of the combat stuff. worgs have a speed of 50 feet per round (6 seconds) while moorbounders have a speed of 70 feet. in one round of combat, you can use your action to dash therefore going double speed. basically, a moorbounder can move at a top speed of 140 feet every 6 seconds while worgs can only move 100 feet. therefore moorbounders > worgs

"I'll distract them with Łi and the other wizard!" Leo says, jumping up onto the back of his beast.

"You can't outrun worgs, Leonardo!"

Leo grins, "I can't yeah, but Łi can and has in the past. _Łki_!"

The beast roars and takes off in the opposite direction, Leo leaning down and gripping tightly onto the reins. He and Łi run up alongside Radagast and his rabbits. He sends a grin to the wizard, and signals for the two of them to split apart. The wizard blinks then nods, turns his rabbits to the left while Leo and Łi go right. The wargs split, not quite evenly but enough for Leo's standards. They nip at Łi's back legs as they gain distance.

"Alright, Łi, enough teasing."

The moorbounder growls and pushes into a sprint, easily pulling ahead by twenty feet. Leo laughs and circles around, aiming to run right through the worgs on Radagast. He holds his left hand out, closing his eyes.

"Sehanine, please," Leo whispers, "Please let me know you're still watching over me."

There's a brief moment where he doesn't feel the familiar weight and feels his heart drop, but then his fingers wrap around something solid and he opens his eyes. His bow, a gift from the Moon Goddess herself is in front of him. The curling, unworldly metal cool to the touch and the dull blue glow lighting his face. He grins. He holds the bow upright and goes to draw the string back, a glowing blue arrow forming as he pulls back, the metal creaking at the strain. He takes aim at one of the orc riders and shoots. 

The orc cries out as the ethereal arrow hits its mark in his neck and he falls off the oversized wolf. Leo hoots and takes hold of Łi's reins with his right hand and flies through the worgs, catching the attention of two more and one rider.

Leo casts a look over his shoulder, "That's it, follow us."

He twists his torso and raises his bow, firing two more arrows consecutively, both piercing into one of the worgs. The wolf tumbles over itself and then lays motionless. A growl from Łi makes Leo turn back and the young man jolts as he sees a worg that he hadn't noticed much too close. Łi, however, had noticed it and in a quick movement, slices the worg's throat open with his claws. They lose some speed, but the worgs are no match for the moorbounder. 

From the corner of his eye, Leo sees the Company getting cornered and panic surges through his body. He pulls on Łi's reins and the beast twists his body, curling around and bolting straight through the worgs chasing them. Leo fires four more arrows, three hitting into three separate worgs, but the fourth missing its mark. He cusses and leans forward, pressing his chest to Łi's shoulders. Sprinting through the worgs, Leo and Łi beeline to the cornered dwarves only to see them diving into a hole. He lets out a breath, relieved and draws another arrow and sends it into the head of an orc. 

Unfortunately, that draws the attention of most all the other worgs and orcs. Radagast is much too far away, plus dealing with his own worg chasers, so Leo finds himself alone, staring down at least seven orcs and double the amount of worgs. 

Łi snarls slashing at each worg that dares to come close as Leo squeezes his thighs to Łi's side - the silent command to back up. The beast complies, stalking backwards as Leo draws the bowstring back and fires, hitting another orc in the face. And then there were six.

Suddenly, a physical arrow strikes into the head of a worg that got a little too close for Leo's liking. The sound of hooves catch Leo's and the orcs' attention, but Leo fires another arrow, striking an orc in the chest. He grabs Łi's reins and pulls, clicking his tongue. The moorbounder bolts, circling around the orcs and worgs to try to flank with whoever has come to help.

The young man watches in awe as the archers and fighters on horseback mow down the orcs and worgs. He helps as much as he can, arrows from afar and taking down a few worgs. It's mere minutes and the entire scouting party if orcs are all dead and not one of the horse riders are down.

Leo clicks his tongue and pushes Łi into a light jog, heading to meet with the strangers. One rides forward, an older man, appeared to be about middle aged, with long, straight brown hair and a circlet on his head.

"Halt. Who are you?" The man asks.

Leo waves and smiles as he pulls Łi into a stop, "Hello, thank you for the help. I'm Leonardo and this is Łi. My companions-" He gestures towards the hole in the ground- "Went in there, do you know where it leads?"

The man draws closer and Leo notices his ears are pointed, more so than a human. 

"It leads to Imladris, an elven city. I am Lord Elrond, the lord of Imladris. I take it you are with Mithrandir then?"

Leo cocks his head, "Uh, I'm with Thorin Oakenshield and Gandalf. I'm afraid I don't know who Mithrandir is."

Elrond nods, "Mithrandir is the Elven name for Gandalf, apologies for the confusion. Come, follow and we shall guide you and your… mount to Imladris. I'm sure we will meet with your company there."

"Thank you," Leo bows his head, "Lead the way."

The horse riders all turn and ride in a formal formation, but Elrond slows his horse to fall in step with Leo and Łi.

"So, what is a human doing in the company of dwarves?"

Leo shrugs, "I don't have much else. Gandalf found me and thought I would be a good edition."

The elf nods, "You certainly have a good shot. I have never seen a bow quite like that in all my years."

Leo looks down at the bow still in his hand, "Yeah, uh, thank you. It was a gift."

"A marvelous gift."

The human nods and looks down at the bow, trying to figure out how to discreetly unsummon it. He sets it across his lap and takes hold of Łi's reins with both hands, figuring there'll be a moment where he can once he gets closer to Imladris.

\--

Leo uses the commotion of the elves surrounding the dwarves as cover to send his bow back to whatever plane it belongs to, the soft shattering muffled by the sounds of hooves on stone, the blue and silver shards of light dimmed by the daylight. He looks up and catches Gandalf's eye, who had been watching him. With a shaky smile he waves, and the wizard nods his head in greeting.

Clearing his throat, Leo turns his attention to the dwarves, "Hey guys, glad to see you all made it out alright."

A few heads turn and those he's gotten closer with - Ori, Fili, Kili, Bombur and Bofur - cheer at the sight of the young man as he slips off Łi's back, patting the beast's side. The elves part and let the dwarves over to Leo's side, the human throwing an arm over Fíli's shoulder and slapping Kíli on the back.

"I didn't know anything could be faster than a worg!" Ori exclaims, his eyes shining as he looks over at Łi, who plops onto the ground and bleps, looking more like an oversized house cat than the fearsome beast he was less than an hour ago. 

Leo grins, "Yep! We out ran an entire orc encampment on moorbounders… and a well placed fireball spell helped too, but y'know."

"That's amazing!"

"Didn't know you had such a shot either, I saw you downing orcs and worgs left and right with that bow!" Fíli says, sliding out from under Leo's arm.

"Didn't even know you _had_ a bow," Kíli jabs his elbow into Leo's side.

Leo looks awkwardly, "Ah, yeah, don't worry about that."

He falls to the back of the group, the dwarves shouting about food and dinner causing those that came towards him to gather up with the others. He turns for a moment to Łi, but the moorbounder is knocked out, snoring as he sprawls across the pathway. Leo sighs and starts to walk over to wake the beast when a hand grabs his shoulder. He looks back at Lord Elrond.

"He can rest, I think he quite earned it."

Leo smiles, bobbing his head, "Thank you. And I'm sure he'll thank you once he's awake and has something to eat too."

There's another voice, speaking in an unknown language, and Leo turns, finding another elven man also with long, dark brown hair speaking to Elrond, a slightly worried look on his face. They look awfully similar and Leo wonders briefly if the younger elf is Elrond's son. The other elf pauses when he feels Leo's gaze and seems to grow flustered. The young human smiles and nods, looking away and back at the sleeping moorbounder now causing a bit of a traffic jam. Leo snorts at the sight, reminded of an old video game he played growing up.

"What does your… mount… eat, if I may ask?"

Leo returns his gaze to the younger elf, "Oh, uh, mostly meat, I usually let him hunt and catch his own food."

"I… see…" The elf seems a little out of his element, somehow still managing to appear graceful and elegant despite his obvious anxiety.

"His name is Łi, he really is harmless. He just gets like this after every battle," Leo explains, "My name's Leo, it's nice to meet you."

The elf bows his head, "I am Lindir, the steward to Lord Elrond. As such, I have been tasked with watching over you and your companions during your stay here."

"Thank you! In that case, do you…" Leo shifts his weight, rubbing the back of his neck, "Do you think I could maybe get a bath while here? I feel disgusting and would die to get a proper bath."

Lindir nods, "Yes, that can be arranged."

Beaming, Leo feels his shoulders relax, "Oh thank the Gods, you are a lifesaver."

Lindir smiles, seeming to feel the tiny bit more comfortable near the human and holds his hand out, motioning for Leo as he turns and starts to walk in the same direction the dwarves went. Leo follows, falling in step with the taller elf, excitement filling his body at the idea of finally being able to take a real bath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Łki - white - command for "run"


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is partly inspired by "Touch the Butts -- Hobbit Edition" by whaleofataleteller
> 
> i know that my self insert would have reacted similarly to how they wrote the reader character so i took a similar interaction and changed it to be a little more self inserty

"Thank you again, Lord Elrond. It is most kind of you to let us stay here. I know they're a little rowdy, but they're not all bad folk."

"It is no bother, Leonardo, you and your group are esteemed guests of Imalaris. It is…"

"The fountain…"

Leo looks up at the two elves on either side of him, then follows their gaze. Thirteen naked dwarves fucking around in a large, ornate fountain. The horror on Lindir's face and the exhaustion on Elrond's speaks volumes as Leo feels rage boil up inside of him. He turns to the elves, forcing a smile dripping with malice to his face.

"Excuse me."

He turns on his heel and storms forward, anger flashing across his face.

Kíli and Fíli notice him first, wading over to ask him to join. Leo smiles, the venom pouring from his lips as he leans forward towards the young dwarves.

"Kíli, Fíli."

"Yeah? You gonna join?"

There's a pause before Leo's hands whip forward, grabbing Kíli's ear with one and hoisting him out of the fountain by his arm with the other, "Get the _fuck_ out of the fountain! All of you fucking idiots get your hairy, disgusting asses out of the fountain right now!"

Kíli lands on his ass as Leo tosses him to the ground. The dwarves stand in stunned silence, unaware that this small, twiggy human held so much strength in his body. Leo turns harshly, back to the dwarves.

"Do you have rot in your ears? Get the fuck out of the fucking fountain, you dumb fucks or Sehanine help me I will fucking drag each and every one of you out by your own balls!"

The majority scramble out, in fear of the young man seething before them. The only two that remain are Thorin and Dwalin. Leo's anger boils.

"You two aren't fucking exempt from this. Get the fuck out."

"Didn't take you as an elf-lover," Dwalin grumbles, unmoving.

Leo yanks off his boots, stripping off the coat the elves left him after his bath and steps into the fountain, making his way to the two remaining dwarves.

"I don't care what you call me. The elves here have opened their home and graciously allowed us to stay here. They gave us shelter and food and a place to sleep where we don't have to fucking keep watch. They saved our fucking lives. And this-" Leo throws his arm out- "is the thanks you fucking give them?"

Thorin growls, "Which one did you bed?"

Leo fumes, a white hot pain and anger in his chest as he stands before the two. There's a momentary pause before he shoves his hand under the water and grabs onto Dwalin's dick, squeezing.

"Get. Out. Of the fucking. Fountain. Or I will rip your dick off and shove it up your ass."

Dwalin pales and stands, as Leo releases him. He turns to Thorin and gives a cold, harsh look.

"Really? That's how low you're going to stoop? Aren't you supposed to be a fucking king?" then Leo turns, wading through the fountain once more.

Lindir and Elrond stand at the edge and Elrond holds a hand out, helping the young man out of the fountain just as the first tears fall. Lindir looks panicked, his hands moving to hover over Leo's shoulders. Elrond gives Leo's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Lindir, take Leonardo and get him some dry clothes."

"Yes, milord." Lindir bows his head and gently places his hands on Leo's shoulders, turning him towards the path. The elf can feel the tremble of the human's shoulders.

"He is such a fucking prick, I am so tired of him."

The young man bites the inside of his mouth then, against his better judgement, turns around and marches back to where he can see Thorin.

"And just so you know!" Leo yells, cupping his hands around his mouth, "I haven't bedded anyone and even if I did, _I_ would be the one getting bedded!"

And then he huffs off back to Lindir, whose entire face has turned bright red even to the tips of his ears and stammers as Leo comes back, the young man feeling a little bit less angry and tense.


	6. Art!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm trying this out for the first time! sharing images of my self insert, łi and my self insert's bow

Basic outfit and look, he's 4'10 so he actually like, pretty much the same height as all the dwarves. 

Close up showcasing his piercings - snake bites, septum, right nostril, 2 right eyebrows, 4 lobes on the left and 2 helix, 3 lobe on the right and industrial.

The Moonweaver's Bow, nickname pending still. Made of an unknown metal that weighs and moves like wood. The drawstring and arrows are ethereal and made of blue light.

The snake tattoo, it's made of ruby dust so it's bright red and glistens in the light. There are also the top surgery scars, the scar from an incident from the previous word, a calico cat tattoo over his heart and a tattoo of two hands forming a shadow puppet of a bird.

Łi taking a rest. Forbidden beans. No one but Leo and 2 other people can touch the beans.


	7. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning : heavy spoilers for critical role in this chapter, specifically for episode 69
> 
> also finally getting some development in my self inserts backstory wahoo

Łi lays curled around Leo, the young man leaning against his side. The dwarves are rowdy and boisterous, regaling tales of past battles and showing off scars. The poor elven man who was tasked with keeping an eye on the group looks positively exhausted. Leo sends a sympathetic smile to him. The young man can't help but feel his cheeks flush when the smile is, albeit shyly, returned.

"Leo!"

The small man looks away from Lindir towards Glóin.

"What tales have you to to share with the group, laddie? I've seen that scar on your shoulder."

His heart leaps to his throat at the same time that his stomach drops. Flashes of a dark tomb, horrific laughter, shadow hounds, red leathery wings and the glint of a familiar greatsword raised above his head run through his mind. Łi rumbles softly, nudging Leo's arm up to comfort the small man.

"It's not pleasant to talk about."

"Nonsense! All scars make for good tales."

Leo's lips press tight, "Not when they're from your own family."

None seem to hear him, as they continue to urge him on to tell the story. Lindir, however, seems to grow worried, his eyebrows raised in shock.

Leo closes his eyes, "Fine."

Cheers and whoops come from the dwarves as all attention now lands on Leo.

"My old group and I went to some mountains. We were following a man who knew one of my best friends, called her out by her title, 'Orphan-Maker'. We thought that he might know about the gaps in her memory. So we pursued. For three days. Through the Barbed Fields.

"We had a few battles with beasts of the wasteland. The first night it was these… I don't know what they were. They were humanoids, but wrong. They were skin and bones, gaunt and pale. Their jaws were unhinged and they would only let out these horrid, mournful groans and wails. They had three arms and all three ended in needle sharp points.

"The second day we fought gloomstalkers - large wyvern like creatures with hearts of ice. On the third day we found a massive, ancient tree, that housed a roc, a bird of prey with a hundred foot wingspan. We were chased by it for the majority of the day. It chased us through an orcish camp as well, which was how I learnt that moorbounders can outrun wargs easily.

"We made it to the city by nightfall on the third day. In the morning we set off for the mountains, where the man had gone. We found a hidden passage into the mountain which led into a Celestial ruin. We went deeper in, fighting through giant spiders, descending a staircase filled with fog and an invisible stalker and a room full of zombies. We made camp at the end of a chasm.

"In the morning, we tied ourselves together and crossed the bridge. Any noise we made would cause this whispering to come up from below and drive us mad. Some in my party attempted to jump off the bridge, some attacked each other.

"Finally across the chasm with the whole party intact, we found ourselves in a room full of mirrors. Then one of us got pulled into the mirror by her own reflection. There were doppelgangers. I couldn't do anything, There were only four doppelgangers but eight of us and I hadn't been dragged in.

"Once they dispatched the doppelgangers, we continued into a tomb."

Leo pauses, scratching his arm and looking off into the distance at nothing.

"Obann came up behind us. He started monologuing about how grateful he was for us to disable all the traps for him, so he could resurrect this once great champion. It clicked in my head then that none of the traps had been set off and that he had just used us to get here. He revealed himself to not be an elf, but a devil, with leathery wings and all. He flew over us and hovered above the coffin.

"We tried our best to shoot him down. I got a few shots in on his torso, Caddie tried to silence him, Beau hit him good with some electricity. But he wouldn't stop chanting in Abyssal.

"And eventually, the lid to the coffin flew off. The… the thing that came out was ungodly. It stood nearly 10 feet tall. It was hunched over and massive, a dark shroud wrapped around its body. One of its arms was cut off at the elbow and replaced with a blade nearly as long as I am tall. It started laughing, this horrendous laughter that echoed and caused us to freeze in pure terror. 

"We immediately shifted focus from Obann to this thing, the Laughing Hand. Every time we would wound it, the wound would morph into a new, twisted mouth with jagged teeth and the laughter would increase. We knew we needed to retreat. So we started to run.

"I was up on the platform near the entrance, by one of the stairs. I had an arrow notched and was trying to aim at one of the shadow hounds that the Laughing Hand had summoned, to try to buy us more time. Yasha came up the stairs behind me. I told her that we're running, to get to the entrance. When she didn't reply I turned around."

Leo bites his lip, forcing the tears back.

"It wasn't her. Her eyes were changed. And she had her greatsword raised above her head. I hardly had time to react. She slammed it down, cleaving into my shoulder. I just managed to move a little, had I not, I likely would have lost my arm.

"We had to leave her. In the tomb with the Laughing Hand and the remains of Obann. For weeks after I had to fight with my group, telling them that she was being controlled, charmed. They all thought she was evil and had been. She is my family. She would have never done that.

"After weeks, we finally broke her from the hold Obann had on her. She ripped that bastard's wings right off of his back.

"So, yeah. That's the story on my scar. I didn't tell the healers about it until we got back to the city so they couldn't heal it until much later, and by then I missed the chance to be able to heal without it scarring. I got the tattoo over it so Yasha wouldn't have to agonise over it when we got her back."

An uncharacteristic silence falls over the group.

"I told you it wasn't nice. I've got plenty of other wild and wack stories to tell, my group was the embodiment of chaos practically."

It takes a moment, but the dwarves get back to retelling stories of a better nature. Leo leans back into Łi, closing his eyes and trying to focus on anything but the tomb of the Laughing Hand. When he opens them, he finds Lindir looking a little more worried and some of the dwarves casting glances at the young man.

"What did you do before this, Leo?"

Leo turns his head to Ori, looking him over. The dwarf looks genuinely worried, though so do Balin and Bofur. He forces a smile on his face as he turns to look up at the ceiling and the stars through the open walls.

"I was in a circus."

"What?" Ori exclaims excitedly.

The dwarves all shout and immediately all attention turns back to Leo. The human smiles, this time genuine as he remembers the nights he spent with his found family.

"Yeah, I was an acrobat, the only acrobat of the circus I was part of. I did stuff on tightropes and high beams, occasionally aerial dancing too. We… we actually had a lot of dancers… We were mostly dancers… But it was good fun. I met my best friends there."

"How long were you with them?" Ori scoots closer, positively enraptured.

"Two years about. I had woken up in a field with no idea how I got there and they picked me up only a few days later. I had already found Łi, still had his eyes closed, and Gustav took us both in."

"What was it like?"

Leo laughs, "Crazy, chaotic, messy, but I loved those people so much. Gustav was a half-elf, he was spindly as if his arms and legs were a little too long for his body and he wore this ridiculously tall top hat. He was the ringleader and one of the founders of the circus - the Fletching and Moondrop Traveling Carnival of Curiosities.

"Desmond was the other founder. He was a human and he played the fiddle. The whole side of his face was a mess of scars and he covered it up with heavy stage makeup and paint.

"Bosun was a half-orc and was sort of a bouncer, occasionally doing a strongman routine if we thought it would be fitting for the town we were in. He had this moustache that he always curled into super tight rings on each side.

"Orna was also a human, she was a fire dancer and she was a bit of a protector over us all, especially the younger members. 

"The twin halfling sisters, Mona and Yuli, were also dancers but more in the contortionist way. They would twist themselves together in knots and I'm pretty sure they would dislocate joints. But they were both fairly standoffish.

"Then there was me, I was always doing aerial or stuff super high up in the air. It was so much fun and I loved it.

"Molly… Mollymauk had been picked up just a few days prior to me. He was a tiefling and we never really figured out an act for him, nothing ever really fit. Sometimes he would do fortunes, other times tarot readings, sometimes spin outlandish tales about us or himself. He… he was my best friend.

"We picked Yasha up about four months after I joined. She was an aasimar and my other best friend. She, Molly and I were inseparable. She didn't have an act either, but since she was so massive and intimidating, we had her partner with Bosun and be a bouncer and a bodyguard of sorts.

"Toya was picked up about six months after me. She was a little dwarf girl, twelve years old and orphaned. She was singing for change and scraps in a town we were passing by and Gustav swept her away with us. He always had a soft spot for riffraff and those people forgot and ignored. She had an act for a while of just singing until we got Kylre about two months later.

"Kylre called himself a 'devil toad'. He was just that, a massive, intelligent toad. He was partially bipedal but used his arms for support as he walked. He… he seemed alright at the beginning and for the year or so we knew him. He and Toya had an act where he would act like a mindless, violent beast who was calmed and charmed by Toya's singing.

"And that was our family. I raised Łi with them, though none of us knew what he was. That's how he got his name, I just kept calling him a 'weird dog' and 'łi' literally means 'dog' in my people's language and it just stuck."

"So…" Kíli begins, "What is aerial dancing?"

Leo sits up, eyes twinkling, excitement bubbling in his belly, "It's amazing. There were a few different kinds I was taught while at the circus. I mostly worked on a high beam, a pole about 20 feet into the air and I would do flips and such on it, or tightrope walking, a thin rope strung across two platforms which you then balance and walk across. Occasionally I would do silk dancing, where you have two long strips of silk hanging from the ceiling and you twist yourself into them and just let yourself drop."

"That sounds incredible, Leo!" Ori says, eyes wide with a large smile on his face.

"You should show us sometime," Fíli says with a wink.

Leo smiles and leans back, his smile growing a little sad, "I would love to. I just… I haven't performed in a long time, not since…"

Łi whimpers and nuzzles under one of Leo's arms. The young man pets the moorbounder.

"I still have my outfit actually. I couldn't bring myself to part with it. I thought about leaving it with Molly, but… It didn't feel right."

There are a few 'show us' chants and Leo laughs, "Not tonight, another time though. Whenever I find somewhere I can perform, I'll do it fully - costume and all."

Leo settles back into Łi, petting the beast's head as Łi falls asleep, purring loudly. He relaxes and casts another glance at Lindir, who smiles at the human before bowing his head and taking his leave. Leo prays that the poor elf will be able to get a good sleep, he knows he deserves it. The dwarves chatter amongst themselves, seemingly content with having made amends with their human companion. 

The young man looks up to the sky, watching the stars as he feels himself start to drift to sleep. Just before sleep claims him, he swears he can hear the familiar fiddle and the laughter of an old, dear friend.


	8. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another critical role spoiler alert, this time for episode 26
> 
> also woohoo dealing w some Stuff™ bc i cant imagine a 700lbs 15ft long moorbounder would be able to climb a tiny ass evergreen

"I’ll tell you what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! He’s thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door. We will not be seeing our hobbit again, he is long gone."

Something about this asshole just knows how to piss Leo off.

"Y'know what? So what? You have been nothing but rude and doubtful of him since the beginning. I wouldn't blame him!"

"Leonardo." Gandalf warns, seeming to sense where this is going.

"No. I'm airing this out." Leo says, pointing at Gandalf, then turns sharply back to Thorin, "You are an insufferable asshole. Had I had somewhere to go to, I would have left weeks ago."

He gestures to the other dwarves, "I have no qualms with any of you. You all have been kind and nice to be around. I have a bone to pick with this man, though.

"You do not think of anyone other than your dwarves. You are rude and disrespectful and intolerable. I'm, for one, glad that you're not king because you would make a shitty one."

Thorin goes red with anger.

"Ah-ah, I'm not done. You whine and bitch about the elves and how they didn't help you. Yes, they should have sent aid, and helped you find a place to take refuge. I'm not saying they were in the right. But did you really expect them to kill a dragon for you? Do you think they were prepared that day to take on a full fucking dragon? 

"And another thing, you say they're all rude and snobby and hateful, but when we were in Imladris, I experienced nothing but hospitality and kindness. They opened their doors for us, fed us, gave us somewhere to sleep and didn't even complain when you destroyed their furniture or ruined their home. Plus the implication that one of them had to _fuck_ me for me to consider being decent to them? What the fuck was that about?

"You have _no_ idea what true oppression is. So shut up and sit down while we try to figure out where Bilbo went."

"He's right here."

Bilbo comes around from behind a tree and Leo feels his shoulders sag with relief instantly. Though it doesn't last for long. The yips and howls of worgs in the distance catches all of their attention.

\--

"Łi!"

The strangled cry, the pain in his throat from screaming, the tears clouding his vision. It's all too familiar. It's too familiar. The fear, the pain, the panic. He's suddenly on a cold, grassy hill alongside a dirt road, the sun barely peeking up in the early morning hours, watching his friend, his best friend, his family, get run through on a glaive.

"No, no, no, no, no! Not again! Łi!"

The beast hangs limply in the claws of the massive bird. Leo grasps onto the feathers of the one he rides, panic seizing his chest. 

It feels too long. It feels far too long before the birds gently place the unmoving, battered body of Thorin and the broken, heaving, bleeding mass of Łi. Leo scrambles to the moorbounder's side, tears dripping down his cheeks, ignoring everything around him.

"Łi, baby, please."

The feline groans, pain obviously riddling his body, drawing another sob from Leo. He lowers his head against Łi's, his hands trembling.

"I can't do this again. You're my only family left."

Another pain-wracked rumble leaves Łi.

He can almost hear his heart shatter as he presses his lips to the top of Łi's head, "It's okay. It's okay. You…"

He realises how much pain his friend is in. 

"You can rest. It's okay. I'll sing you to sleep, alright? You always liked to hear me sing."

Sobs rip from Leo's chest as he shakily sings. 'At least,' he thinks, 'I can make _his_ passing softer. Gentler. I can give him that. I can give him more than I could Molly.'

Flashes of memories fill his mind - finding the strange baby animal with its eyes still closed, the circus, sitting by a fire after a night of performances still in his dancing outfit and leaning against Łi, meeting his soon to be family, all the battles they fought, crying into the beast's fur and wrapped in a coat of many colours, a tree on the top of a tower in a city encased by endless night. A giant of a woman in all black with big, thick black hair. A person with lavender skin and large curling horns adorned in gold.

As he brings the song to a close, he notices the grey robes standing next to him. He looks up, tears blurring his sight, pouring down his reddened cheeks. Gandalf lowers himself, kneeling next to Leo. He puts a hand on Łi's side and chants in some language Leo's never heard. He watches as some of the more serious, bleeding lacerations and tears on the moorbounder's body thread together and cease bleeding. A low purr starts to rumble through Łi as he opens his eyes.

Leo sputters and leans back, his hands on the sides of Łi's head, as the beast's stubby tail thumps against the ground.

"You're… You're okay?"

Łi's tongue falls out of his mouth and he licks Leo's hands. More tears fall from Leo's eyes, a smile breaking across his face. He laughs and pulls the creature's massive head into his lap, hugging Łi. He looks up at Gandalf, eyes watering.

"Thank you."

He drops his head, crying softly into Łi's fur, trying to hide it from the others. Łi purrs and nuzzles into Leo as the human's hands grip into the short fur, laughter bubbling up inside of the young man. A hand touches his shoulder and he looks up, blinking away the tears to find Bilbo kneeling next to him. Leo sniffles as the hobbit holds out a handkerchief, two "B"s embroidered across the bottom. He takes it from Bilbo, nods, and dabs at his eyes, trying to mop up some of the tears.

"Thank you, Bilbo," his voice is crackly, raw.

"You're welcome," Bilbo says, standing, "And thank you for what you said earlier."

Leo nods, "Of course. I couldn't just stand around and let a friend of mine get trash-talked. I knew you wouldn't just up and leave."

Bilbo smiles, that usual awkward smile of his, "Yes, thank you."

The human smiles and moves his attention back to the snoozing moorbounder in front of him, petting the black fur and humming a soft tune. He's just glad that Łi's alive and that he wasn't entirely useless again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this feels rushed, it kinda is bc i wanna get to Hot Elf


	9. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Łsuk - red - command for "attack"
> 
> finally we got to thranduil ヽ( ´¬`)ノ

Leo holds himself awkwardly. He's hyper aware of every wrinkle in his clothes, every hair that's astray, every smudge of dirt on his face. He wrings his hands together as he tries to fix his posture to be a little straighter. 

"And what are you doing with this company? You're not the same as all of the other dwarves."

"I'm, uh, not a dwarf. I'm a human, just very small. But I'm with them because… They needed help and I had nowhere to go."

The King raises an eyebrow, continuing to circle around the young man, "Nowhere to go?"

"Yes. I have nowhere to go, no home to return to. Well, I do, but it's very, very, _very_ far away. In a whole different world, you could say." Leo has to pinch his hand to stop from laughing at his own (shitty) joke.

"And that… beast of yours?"

"Łi? He's my friend. I found him probably a week old, abandoned by what we assumed was a blackmarket pet thing. I couldn't just leave him so I raised him. He's called a moorbounder and he's honestly very docile as long as I'm not in danger."

A hum comes from the King as he stops in front of Leo, gazing down at the young man. Leo fidgets, everything feeling pressuring. Something flashes across the king's face.

"You lie."

Panic wells up in Leo, but he tries to stay calm, "I'm sorry that I came across as lying, but I promise you on my life that it's the truth."

Leo brings his hands to his chest, "I have no reason to lie. I understand that some things I say may be hard to believe, but…"

He trails off, the King staring intently at Leo's fingers against his chest. The King's eyes dart up to meet Leo's and the young man is shocked to find some sort of deep… emotion in his icy blue eyes.

"Are you… okay?"

"Those markings on your fingers. What are they?"

Leo blinks then holds his hands out in front of him, as if he didn't even know, "The moon phases."

"The moon phases?"

"Yeah, uh, I have a few tattoos related to the, uh, night sky and stars."

The King strolls up closer, eyes darting over the young man's exposed skin, zeroing in on his wrists, "That one. What is that?"

Leo looks down at his left arm, and holds it up, "My star sign, the constellation I was born under."

"Star-sign? Are you star-touched? Moon-touched?"

"Maybe? My Goddess is the Goddess of the moon and she's talked with me directly before."

The King's eyes widen, "Explain."

"Uh, her name is Sehanine, the Moonweaver, she's the Goddess of the moon, autumn, um, illusions and misdirections and the protector of lovers' trysts. She gifted me a bow and told me I was her champion. I… I don't know why she communicated and chose me. My friend is the one who introduced me to her, well, really we kinda discovered her together."

The King pauses, and there's a moment where their eyes meet and Leo feels his heart skip a beat, something feeling off and weird and as if this very moment was somehow meant to be. It scares him a little. He chastises himself immediately, telling himself to focus and not be gay for ten minutes.

The elf steps back, waving his hand and doesn't say another word. Guards come up to either side of him and guide him back towards the cells. He gets one last glimpse of the elven king, staring off into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

The guards push him into his cell as Thorin demands to know what happened. 

"He just asked me why I was with you guys, about Łi and some of my tattoos and then my Goddess."

Thorin starts yelling and Leo tunes him out, drifting towards the back of the cell to sit down. His knee has been acting up since the moment they arrived in this castle, city, whatever the fuck it is. Hopefully they'll get out soon, if Thorin manages to swallow his pride for five seconds.

\--

It's Bilbo who saves the day. Leo hugs the hobbit and slaps him softly on the cheeks once he's out of the cell.

"I need to find Łi, does anyone have any ideas of where he could be?"

The hobbit raises his hand, "Yes, uh, there's another level in the dungeon, I found him down there. He's already at the escape route."

"You are an absolute angel, I owe you my life and Łi will absolutely be letting you touch his beans," Leo speaks quickly, quietly.

Bilbo doesn't seem to understand half of what tumbles out of Leo's mouth but nods anyway and begins to guide the group lower into the cellar. Łi lays curled in the shadows near a bunch of empty barrels and perks up at the sound of movement. Leo near bursts into tears at the sight of his dear friend, but stays quiet, bringing a finger to his lips to shush the moorbounder as well.

When Bilbo instructs them all to get into the barrels, Leo doesn't hesitate, sliding into one easily. It takes a moment for the others to fill the barrels as well, but it's still not quite enough time for Leo to process everything and before he knows it, he's rolling off into an underground river and the sound of claws scraping and dragging across wood echoes before an even louder splash.

Leo struggles to get upright, shoving his hair out of his face and spots Łi doggy paddling and looking like an oversized drowned rat. Relief surges through him, even though it's obvious his poor beast is miserable, at least they're together and still alive.

Though when the first orcish arrow strikes one of the barrels, Leo loses that feeling immediately. He stands as well as he can and summons his bow, ignoring the looks and shouts from the dwarves.

"Łi! _Łsuk_! Get onto the bank and follow!"

The moorbounder growls, but paddles over, leaping from the water and tearing into the nearest orc with his claws, bolting down the side of the river at pace with the barrels. Leo aims towards orcs ahead, shooting arrow after arrow, trying to clear the path. Łi follows the barrels, leaving a wake of dead orcs, their dark blood staining his muzzle and claws.

As Leo fells another orc, he prays that this isn't for long, nausea bubbling in his belly as the barrels topple over another small waterfall. Of _course_ he has to be seasick on top of everything else. But it's a strange feeling, because he's been seasick many times before, and even though it's similar, there's also an ache in his chest that pushes through as well, as if he's forgetting something or leaving something behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Łsuk - red - command for "attack"


	10. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Łtsu - yellow - command for "jump"

"Bilbo." Leo hisses between his teeth, Łi pawing the ground.

The hobbit looks up, distress painted across his face through the dying sunlight. Leo puts a hand on his shoulder and lowers himself, getting close to him, his other hand going towards a large sack on his hip.

"I found these gems and remember back when Thranduil had me and Thorin pulled aside to chat? He mentioned to Thorin about some gems that were white as starlight. I think these are them and I'm taking them to Thranduil. Please, please come with me," Leo begs, his eyes searching Bilbo's.

"I…" The hobbit stammers, his hand going to his coat, "I have something as well."

Leo nods, "Meet me on the wall. At midnight. Łi can make the jump over the wall."

The young man stands and moves towards the black beast, hiding the sack of gems in one of Łi saddlebags, triple checking it to be secure. He sends a glance over his shoulder, but the hobbit is already gone.

\--

Night has long fallen, the dwarves all asleep, or as much as they could be on the night before their doomed battle. Leo guides Łi towards the wall, the moorbounder creeping silently through the halls. Guilt and worry eat at Leo's gut and he gnaws on his lip.

"You should be inside. Out of the wind." 

Leo and Łi both freeze at the sound of Bofur's voice.

"Nah, I, uh, needed some air. Place still stinks of dragon." Bilbo.

"The elves have been moving their archers into position."

"Ah."

"The battle'll be over by tomorrow's eve, though I doubt we will live to see it."

"These are dark days."

"Dark days indeed… No one could blame a soul for wishing themselves elsewhere… Must be near midnight. Bombur's got the next watch... It'll take a bit to wake him."

"Bofur… I will see you in the morning."

"Goodbye Bilbo."

Leo's heart breaks at the tone of Bofur's voice and stays frozen on top of Łi.

"And goodbye, Leonardo."

He feels tears well up in his eyes as he slides down from Łi's saddle, going over to the dwarf. He puts his hands on his shoulders. Leo can't say anything, his voice caught in his throat and merely pulls Bofur into a hug. The dwarf hugs back, patting the younger man on his back.

Bofur pulls away first, "Take care of that beast, alright?"

Leo nods, wiping his eyes.

"And take care of Bilbo too."

"I will. Goodbye Bofur. Thank you, for everything."

Bofur smiles, though it doesn't reach his eyes and he turns, heading back down into Erebor. Leo grabs Łi's reins and throws them over his head and leads him up to the top of the wall. Bilbo stands, looking over the edge. 

"You ready?"

Bilbo sighs and takes a deep breath, "As much as I'll ever be."

Leo nods and hauls himself up into the saddle then lowers his arm to pull Bilbo up behind him. He lifts the hobbit with ease, setting him behind him.

"Hang on tight."

Leo guides Łi to the edge of the wall, but pauses and grabs Bilbo, settling him in front of him instead and wrapping one arm around his waist.

"I don't want you falling off. You've seen how fast Łi can go."

Bilbo doesn't respond, but grabs onto Leo's arm.

"Łi, _Łtsu_!"

The moorbounder takes off, leaping up and over the wall. Leo holds onto the reins and lowers himself, holding Bilbo close to his body. The beast aims below for the broken pieces of the carvings. He lands, bunching his muscles and jumping to the next piece, then onto land. The beast shakes himself, rumbling as he starts heading towards Dale at a trot. Leo shifts and slides Bilbo back behind him.

"Tap me on the shoulder when you leave, we should probably head in there separately. I'll be leaving Łi just a little ways out, I don't think it'll be a good idea for me to ride him into Dale with an entire Elven army here."

Bilbo nods against Leo's back as they make their way through the open field.

Leo gets lost in the rhythm of Łi's pace and jumps when he feels two light taps to his shoulder. He slows Łi and turns to speak to his hobbit passenger and finds that he is alone in the saddle. He smiles, sadly.

"Don't get yourself killed," He says to open air.

\--

"If I'm not mistaken, this is the halfling who stole the keys to my dungeons from under the nose of my guards."

Bilbo purses his lips shifting his weight awkwardly before muttering quietly, "Yes… Sorry… About that..."

Thranduil turns his attention to Leo, the young man stiffening, "And you are the moon-touched human."

"Yes." Leo folds in on himself, moving his gaze to the table instead of on Thranduil and opens his mouth to offer the sack of gems he found when Bilbo speaks up.

"I came to give you this."

Bilbo places an object wrapped in leather on the table and unwraps it. The stone shines like it holds its own light source, softly lighting the faces of those nearest the table with its gentle glow.

"The Heart of the Mountain," Thranduil gasps, "The King's Jewel."

"And worth a king's ransom," the human man turns to look at Bilbo, "How is this yours to give?"

"I took it as my 15th share of the treasure," Bilbo responds simply.

Leo stands in awe, "Wow, my offer feels like nothing compared to this…"

Thranduil looks at Leo, questioningly, before the human speaks again, "Why would you do this? You owe us no loyalty."

"I'm not doing it for you," Bilbo replies, "I know dwarves can be obstinate and pigheaded and difficult and suspicious and secretive with the worst manners you can possibly imagine, but they are also brave and kind and loyal to a fault. I've grown very fond of them and I would save them if I can."

He steps forward, "Now, Thorin values this stone above all else. In exchange for its return, I believe he will give what you are owed there will be no need for war."

Gandalf guides Bilbo out of the tent, and Leo makes to follow, but pauses, "I would ride you both tomorrow, if you'll let me, to the gates of Erebor."

"We need only those capable of fighting," the human says, looking down at the younger man.

Leo puffs up a little, "I've been in more battles in the past two years than you have in your entire life. I'm going to go out and sleep on Łi. I'll meet you down at dawn."

The younger man swivels on his heel and marches off, beelining to where he left his hulking friend.

Partway through the night, as he lounges on Łi's back, softly singing to himself and his friend, he feels two taps on his leg. He sits up, and even though he sees nothing, he feels his chest ache.

"I will see you tomorrow evening," Leo says, "Bilbo."

\-- 

Dawn comes much too soon and Leo feels the dread in his stomach as he mounts up on Łi. The Elven army has moved forward and has begun their march on Erebor. Through the crowd, now that he's on top of Łi's back and able to see over top their heads, he can see two figures on mounts - what looks like a megaloceros and a horse.

The ancient elk's massive antlers stand out amongst the crowd and Leo clicks his tongue, guiding Łi around the army towards where the mounted king and human wait. The human, Bard, Leo learnt his name from Gandalf, startles slightly at the sight of the tiny human on the back of such a terrifying beast. Leo bows his head in greeting, one which Thranduil returns. The Elven King pushes his elk forward, the soldiers parting to allow him, the horse ridden by Bard and Łi through. 

Something eats at Leo's stomach, and he knows, nothing good will come of this day. The evening, he knows already, will be laced with tragedy.


	11. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Łki - white - command for "run"
> 
> Listo - Sindarin for "please"
> 
> wahoo now i can finally slam the breaks on thsi fast paced disaster and finally start a slow burn pining story
> 
> also rangers do Not do well in close combat
> 
> sehanine has no canon form from what i gathered other than appearing as either a girl or young woman so i had a little fun with her design.

Blood seeps from his chest, his arms, his back. He can feel it trickling down his forehead, into his eye. Everything hurts, his ears ring, his eyes blur. He turns to his companion, the hulking beast similarly bloodied and battered. He reaches out, his hand landing on the beast's head. Łi pants and looks up.

"Go, Łi. _Łki_. Survive. I can't… I can't lose you."

Łi whines, his ears pinning back. He pushes his muzzle into Leo's chest and it pains the young man to push the moorbounder away. 

"Go!"

There's a moment of hesitation, but the beast complies, whimpering as he bolts, whipping past the orcs before they can even realise what's happening. Some give chase, even though it's hopeless. The rest return their attention to the small human man they have cornered. Leo closes his eyes, trying to even his breathing. Every breath is a challenge all on its own.

He raises his bow, opening his eyes as the orcs surround him, raising their clubs and swords.

His final thoughts are of his family.

A bundle of black fur and muscle plowing into a young man, coming up to his ribcage and pushing him into the ground, his stumpy tail wagging.

A giant woman in all black, her long black to white hair blowing in the breeze as she sits in a field of bright wildflowers, a crown of pinks and oranges on her head as she smiles down at the young man next to her, crafting another crown of yellow.

A person with purple skin and curling horns adorned in gold twisting around a dimly lit circle, their tail twirling with each movement, their jacket flowing around their body as a young man matches their movement with ease, smiles plastered on both.

Then black.

\--

Panic fills the king's chest. He's lost his son. He's lost so many of his people. Please, he begs, let him not have lost him too.

Dwarves, those he once imprisoned, are equally panicked. They're bloodied and hurt, but needing to find their lost friend, more desperate having already lost their king. 

A sudden movement catches the king's attention, whipping his head up, his hair flowing around him with the move. A black beast comes running forward, panting, bleeding. It yowls, the dwarves all looking up and rush towards it, one of the younger dwarves, one of the princes if Thranduil recalls correctly, pets its muzzle, trying to calm it. It bites down on the hand, gently, and tugs, trying to lead them somewhere. The dwarves follow, scrambling after the panicked animal. Thranduil follows as well.

The beast leads them to a mass of rubble and bodies. A hand sticks out, pale and covered in blood with imagery of the moon inked across the fingers. Thranduil doesn't even think and starts moving bodies and debris. The dwarves don't speak as they help, unburying the young man. 

Thranduil feels his chest seize up as he pulls the limp body of Leo out. His left arm is broken, bent at an unnatural angle. Blood seeps from a cut along his hairline and cuts litter his face and hands. The worst seems to be on the back of his head and one of his legs. The ground beneath him is stained a violent red. Thranduil leans down, his chest aching. His fingers tremble as he presses them into Leo's neck.

" _Listo_."

He finds it. A pulse. Faint, weak, but there.

"He's alive!" The king yells, gathering the broken human in his arms, "Get a healer!"

\--

Three weeks.

Leo has been asleep for three weeks. 

Thranduil's mood has been on the decline nearly each following day. His temper is short on nearly everyone that comes near. He doesn't understand why the human hasn't woken. He sent for the best healers from Imladris and his body has been mended. His beast lays beside him, hardly moving. 

The king paces in his private quarters, worry, fear, anger, distress clutching at his chest, at his heart. He hasn't felt such strong emotions in a long while, and that, paired with the strange feeling he felt back when he first met Leo, he fears it means only one thing. He nearly collapses onto his bed, his head in his hands, his elbows on his knees. He hates this. This feeling in his chest, in the back of his head. He aches to be beside the young man, to have him wake, to be near him. He leans back, staring up at the ceiling.

"Please. Don't let me lose him too."

He closes his eyes.

When he opens them, he finds himself not in his chamber, not even in Mirkwood. He's on a snowy mountain, the night sky seemingly close enough that he could touch the stars themselves. Ribbons of pinks and greens dance around the stars, illuminating the snow and the rocks of the mountain. His hair blows in the breeze, snowflakes catching in the starlight white strands.

"I heard your plea, King of the Woodland Elves."

Thranduil leaps to his feet, twisting around and ready to fight. But before stands no threat, just a young woman.

Her skin is midnight blue, as if made from the sky itself, with stars decorating and twinkling across her cheeks and shoulders. Her hair, kinky, curly, bright white, flows down past her hips. Silver jewels drape across her neck and along her long, pointed ears. A gown of silks and lace adorns her body, trailing over the snow. Her feet dangle in the air, not touching the ground. It's then that Thranduil realises she floats and not stands.

"I know about my Champion. He has fallen unconscious, has he not?"

"Your… champion?"

The girl smiles, her cheeks dimpling as she floats a little higher, her hands going to her chest, "Oh, apologies. I haven't introduced myself."

She curtsies, in the air, bowing deeply, "My name is Sehanine, the Moonweaver. I am the Goddess of the Moon, of the Autumn season, of Illusions and Misdirection and the Protector of Lovers' Trysts. I am the patron deity of the young Leonardo and he my Champion."

Thranduil furrows his brows, confusion apparent on his face, "You… are a Goddess?"

The girl, Sehanine, brings her knees up, posing as if sitting on a ledge, "I am indeed. Anyway, I heard your plea. I have been doing my best in saving his life and keeping him breathing. I have also been imbuing him with a gift."

She floats closer, her hair and gown trailing behind her, "Since he came to his world against his will, I believe it severed his ability to, ah, what does he call it? Dream traveling? I believe he can no longer do so."

"So what do you mean by a gift?" Thranduil stands tall and poised, squaring his shoulders.

"Since he can no longer 'dream travel', he is stuck in this world. And to finish my gift, I must know - Will he be allowed to stay in your kingdom? Will you keep him by your side?"

Thranduil doesn't even pause, "Without hesitation."

The Goddess claps her hands, "Wonderful! Then, I shall bless him with this gift. Treat my Champion well, Thranduil, King of the Wood Elves. He is in your hands for now and until the end of time."

There's a bright flash and white consumes his vision.

Thranduil finds himself on his back on his bed, morning sunlight shining across his face. He pulls himself up, moving towards his vanity. Before he can even sit, a knock comes from the door.

"My king? He is showing signs of waking."

Thranduil is at the door and down the hall in a blink, his robes trailing behind him as he follows the servant to Leo's chambers.

The young man shifts under the knitted blanket, a gift from one of his dwarven friends. The servant bows and leaves, closing the door behind them. Thranduil kneels next to the bed, his hand wrapping around Leo's. Łi whines and noses his head under Leo's other hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was gonna be in one big chunk but i decided to divide it into two separate chapters


	12. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> spoilers for episode 26 of critical role
> 
> also the 'scar' on my self inserts forehead is kinda inspired by the last unicorn - amalthea's forehead marking

There's a pounding in Leo's head as he opens his eyes. His vision is blurry and unfocused and he blinks a few times. His whole body feels weak and bruised. As he focuses, he finds Thranduil leaning over him, his hair a curtain around them. He feels the coarse fur of Łi under his left arm.

"You're awake."

Leo smiles, "I am."

He winces at the sound of his own voice. Thranduil reaches to the bedside table and slides a hand under Leo's head, helping him lean forward and bringing a glass of water to his lips. Leo gulps the water down.

Thranduil's eyes keep glancing up, away from his eyes and towards his forehead. Leo tilts his head, "What's wrong?"

The king blinks, "I beg your pardon?"

Leo brings his hand to his forehead, "Is there something there?"

Thranduil pulls away, hesitantly as his fingers linger and he moves towards the vanity, picking up a small hand mirror and brings it to Leo, "Your Goddess visited me."

"She did? She's beautiful, isn't she? What did she say?"

Thranduil sits on the edge of the bed, running his fingers across the hand mirrors' frame, "She told me that you are likely no longer able to… 'dream travel' since you came to this world against your will."

Leo is quiet for a moment before he speaks, softly, "I guess that makes sense. I did wish to be somewhere else when I traveled to Wildemount…"

"Because of this," Thranduil looks up from the mirror, holding it up for Leo, "She gave you a gift. The blessing of immortality. To let you stay here, in my kingdom, should you wish it."

Leo gazes into the mirror, his eyes widening. In the centre of his forehead is a crescent moon. It's a simple moon shape, a pale red colour, looking almost like a scar, just with much cleaner, sharper lines. Leo's fingers trace the mark, tears forming in his eyes. Thranduil sets the mirror down, his hands hovering over Leo.

"It's alright, _meleth nîn_ , please don't cry."

Leo smiles, a laugh bubbling up from his chest, "I'm alright, I promise. This is just a lot to take in. I almost died and now I'm immortal? Sehanine really knows how to take things slow."

Łi purrs, nuzzling into Leo's side. Leo pets the beast's nose and relaxes, taking a deep breath and letting his eyes close. Then he snaps them open, sitting up quickly. He feels a rush to his head and Thranduil grabs his arms, steadying him.

"What are you doing? You must be careful."

Leo pushes himself up and to the side of the bed, "Yeah, I know, but I need something. Where're Łi's saddlebags?"

Thranduil stands, his hands hovering near Leo, ready to catch the unsteady man if he trips or falls, "They are right here. What do you need, I shall fetch it for you."

"No, no, I gotta give it to you," Leo says, shuffling over to the leather packs, digging through their contents.

He huffs as he finds what he's looking for - a large sack, heavy and its contents chiming as they clink together. He scuffles back to his bed and plops down, catching his breath and trying to force his legs and hands to stop shaking. He undoes the drawstring and gazes into the sack. Looking back up at Thranduil, he pats the bed. The king sits, looking down at the small man.

"So, y'know how Bilbo took the Arkenstone as his 15th share? Well, the reason I was there too was because I also took something for my 15th share and was gonna use this to try to deter you from waging war, but I kinda forgot about it with Biblo having the Arkenstone and then the battle, but uh…"

Leo shifts the bag in his lap, looking up to Thranduil, "I remember you mentioning something about gems as white as starlight and while Thorin was forcing us all the scour through every single fucking piece of treasure, I, uh, I found these and they, well…"

The young man hands the sack off, plopping it gently into Thranduil's lap, "These kinda look like what I imagined you described. Plus they were with a really pretty necklace that didn't look Dwarven made. It was a bit of a mess, but I tried to gather them all up."

He plays with his hair, nervously, "I just _knew_ that Thorin would hold whatever you wanted over your head so, since I thought these might have been them, I just got as much as I could and, well, stole it. Well, not really, because I took it as my 15th share which _was_ part of the contract I signed and-"

"Leonardo."

Leo stops speaking, biting his lip as he looks up through his hair at the Elven King.

Thranduil holds the bag like it's a precious, living thing. Leo can see the tears pooling in the elf's icy blue eyes. He pulls the necklace out, slowly, carefully, as if it would break if he pinched it too tightly and gathers it in his hands. There's a moment when time stands still before the tears fall down Thranduil's pale cheeks. He's silent, he doesn't sob or hiccup or anything, just sits there with the necklace draped over his hands with tears rolling down his face.

Leo panics a little, reaching over to the bedside table to flounder around for a handkerchief, a bit of cloth, anything to offer the crying king.

"You have returned something incredibly dear to me."

The human pauses, his fingers wrapping around a small cloth as he turns his attention back to Thranduil.

"This was to be my wife's."

Leo feels his heart drop. Pain laces every word that falls from Thranduil's lips.

"I commissioned the necklace for her, before she died. When I went to finally retrieve it from the Dwarves after her death, they would not give it or her gems."

Thranduil runs a finger over the silver, tracing the delicate metalwork. Leo gently puts a hand on the king's arm, handing him the handkerchief with the other. The king tenses at the touch, but accepts the offering.

"I'm so sorry. I… I'm glad that I could return them where they belong," Leo's voice is soft and he rubs his hand along Thranduil's arm, "I know how hard it is to lose a loved one, especially when you could have stopped it."

Thranduil glances down, away from the necklace for the first time, to the young man next to him. Leo's eyes are distant, looking ahead at some unknown location, though Thranduil understands. The young human is watching whatever happened to him, whatever he witnessed. The king slides his arm out of Leo's hold, then takes his hand in his own, taking a moment to examine just how tiny the human's hand is against his.

"Êlúriel was the queen of the Woodland Elves and the mother of Legolas," Thranduil speaks quietly, "She had been taken by Orcs and we were unable to find her before… Before she perished. We had no idea where or who had taken her, and by the time we learnt it was the Orcs, it was too late. Legolas likely would have been taken as well, had she not risked her own safety and life hiding him. He was only a child, barely half a century old. His only memory of her is when she hid him in the crook of an old tree."

Leo squeezes his hand, "Mollymauk was my best friend. Half of our group had been taken in the night by slavers and we tracked them down, followed them then rode ahead when they pulled off for the night. We planned all night and in the morning sprung our trap but we… We were outnumbered and didn't realise just how powerful they were. Molly ran in, catching the attention of the leader so he didn't hit another of ours and… The glaive just went right through his chest. I watched every second and I couldn't do anything."

They sit in silence for a moment, yet still comforting one another. Leo's empty hand moves seemingly on autopilot as he reaches into his tunic and pulls out the silver dragon pendant he wears around his neck. He holds it tightly then pulls it over his head, flipping it over in his hand. The metal glints in the soft glow of the candles in his room, the ruby and sapphire at the bottom shining brightly. Łi whimpers and pads around to the other side of the bed and shoves his head into Leo's lap, whining.

"She loved the stars," Thranduil breaks the silence, "I could not give her the love she deserved, so I tried to give her the stars."

Leo looks up, puzzled, "You… Didn't love her?"

Thranduil shakes his head, "No, I did. I loved her very much. But elves, we have someone who we are meant to spend our lives with, called the One. However, sometimes the fates are fickle and do not match Ones. Êlúriel happened upon this fate. I was her One, but she was not mine."

"Like…" Leo thinks for a moment, "Like soulmates? A person you're destined to be with?"

"Yes. I tried to give her what I could, she was a wonderful, beautiful, gentle _elleth_ and she deserved better. I was a young king when we were wed, I was expected to have a queen and an heir. I have never told anyone that she was not my One."

Leo bites his lip, giving Thranduil's hand another squeeze, "Thank you for telling me. It's good to get stuff like this off your chest."

He turns the pendant around in his other hand, pulls it back over his head and stands. He slowly makes his way over to the saddlebags once more and digs through the largest one. His fingers touch the soft silky material and he gently pulls it out, careful to not let the fabric snag on anything before making his way back to the bed, sitting beside Thranduil and taking his hand again. Leo spreads the fabric open, revealing a coat, covered entirely in elaborate embroidery of suns and moons, peacocks and snakes, and so many more symbols with beetle wings, beads and gemstones interwoven with the threads.

"Molly loved colours," Leo says, tracing the lines of one of the peacocks, "He wore this coat constantly. I taught him how to embroider, not know what hell it was going to unleash. He couldn't speak for the first few weeks so we didn't know what he had been through, so I hoped that keeping his hands busy would help him with anything he was processing."

"It is… A work of art," Thranduil whispers, his eyes taking in every detail of the coat.

"We don't really have soulmates, not in my home world or the world I was in prior, but I do believe that there are people we're destined to meet. Molly and Yasha were soulmates of mine in that aspect. I believe we were meant and made to be friends. Maybe… Ehlooriel was like that for you?" Leo stumbles over the pronunciation of the former queen's name.

Thranduil falls quiet for a moment, "Perhaps. She was a very dear friend of mine and I did love her. Just, not in the way she loved me."

"Did you ever find your One?"

Another silence falls between them, this one longer. Leo's about to apologise, in fear of overstepping a boundary or crossing a line.

"I believe I have, yes."

The king's words are so quiet, Leo strains to hear them. His heart skips a beat when he processes the statement, though he can't quite figure out why.

"It is a recent discovery, but… If the tales and recounts are true, then, yes, I believe I have found my One. Though, it is not at all who I would have expected." Thranduil looks down at the young man beside him, a strange look on his face, one of fondness.

Leo blinks, "Well, they're a very lucky elf whoever they are. You may seem all prickly and cold but from just this short moment right here, you're obviously a good person at heart. You've just had some shit that you haven't been able to really work through."

Thranduil stares at the young man as Leo reclines a little, then sighs, gathering up the necklace and gently putting it back in the bag before standing up.

"I shall leave you to get some rest."

Leo smiles, "Thank you. I should probably clean up and head back to Erebor soon. I was one of the few who would tell Thorin off so I would assume I'm needed there now that he's king."

Thranduil freezes, his hand hovering against the door. He looks over his shoulder to the young human, who's running his fingers through his hair with a frown as he tugs on a knot.

"You… Do not know…"

"What was that?"

The Elvenking turns and faces Leo, "Thorin was killed in the battle."

Leo's hands fall from his hair, "Oh."

"I am sorry for your loss."

Leo shakes his head, "It's alright, I… I wasn't all that close with him. I thought he was an asshole, but…"

He shakes his head, pursing his lips, "Did anyone else from the company…?"

Thranduil shakes his head, "The two princes were wounded badly but both have made full recoveries from what I heard in the last report."

"Fíli and Kíli? That's good, I liked those two. I take it one of them is king?"

"No, Dáin Ironfoot is currently the King Under the Mountain."

Leo stays quiet and pets Łi, the beast leaning up to lick at the young man's face. Thranduil pushes down the urge to stay, to gather the young man into his arms and comfort him. Instead, he bows his head.

"I shall leave you for the night."

"Wait."

The king looks up. 

Leo's voice is soft as he speaks, "How long was I out for?"

"Three weeks," Thranduil replies, "You have been here for the entirety of those three weeks."

The young man nods, eyes growing heavy, "Thank you for taking me in, then."

A soft, small smile forms across Thranduil's lips, "You are welcome. Rest, I shall send word if the healer has not already to have food brought here. These are your chambers for as long as you wish to remain here."

Leo nods again, continuing to pet Łi. The king turns away, fighting the urge inside his chest and leaves the young man's chambers.


	13. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Łki - white - command for "run"
> 
> again using dnd stats. the elk that thranduil rides is a megaloceros, the irish elk and they are Massive, they have a full skeleton of one at the natural history museum in nyc and hoooo boy. anyway. i used the stats for a giant elk and they can only go 60ft/120ft full dash vs a moorbounders 70ft/140ft full dash. the only thing that i've found in my research that is faster than a moorbounder is a dire jackalope and thats only just barely faster at 75ft/150ft full dash

Łi stretches, yawning and spreading his paws open before padding over to where Leo sits and plops his head into his lap. Leo huffs, his book getting shoved out of his hands as the moorbounder demands his attention.

With a sigh, Leo scratches his ears, "Feeling cooped up? I understand,maybe we could get Thranduil to let us out further than just here at the gates, though the woods are a little scary."

Łi whines, ears pinning back and rolls over, stretching his back legs out and holding his front paws in the air, his tongue falling out of his mouth. The human chuckles and scratches the beast's chin, watching as one of his back legs starts to kick. He looks up as he hears footsteps, armoured, but light. From inside the castle come two guards, Leo recognises the armour as the King's Guards 

"Your presence is requested by King Thranduil."

Leo shrugs Łi off his lap, muttering a soft apology, "Alright, I'll be right there."

He stands up, picks his book off the ground and dusts his pants off, following the guards, Łi following behind complaining loudly as he does so. One guard falls behind both of them while one leads the way, more out of habit than anything else since the human and moorbounder pair have been living in Mirkwood for just over two months at this point. Well, three of those weeks, he was unconscious, but still. Thranduil only just recently started letting Leo sit outside to the side of the gates. It's strange, Leo thinks as they walk along the twisting pathways of the castle, how much Thranduil has fretted over him since he woke up. He hovers over the man and checks in on him daily, inviting him to dine with him nearly every night and allowing him full access to the library, and even gifting him with an array of beautiful elven clothes. Apparently, he was a mess while he was unconscious too, his temper flaring and constantly checking up on him.

He's brought out of his thoughts as he nears the throne, hearing Thranduil speaking with someone in Sindarin, likely an advisor of sorts. He cuts off his conversation as Leo and the guards arrive, dismissing the other elf with a wave of his hand as the guards fall into their posts on the edges of the platform.

"Leonardo," Thranduil greets, standing from his throne and making his way down gracefully.

"I heard you called for me?" Leo says as Łi shoves his head into Leo's side making the human stumble a little.

"Yes. I am headed to Erebor for trade negotiations with King Dáin. I was hoping for you to accompany me there," Thranduil smiles as he steps near Leo, watching the moorbounder's antics.

Leo pushes the beast's nose down, "Really? That would be great! I'd be good to see everyone again and Łi's really - urgh, Łi, _łshin_ \- really wanting to get out and stretch his legs."

The sound of the Elvenking chuckling sends heat to Leo's cheeks, "I can see. We shall be leaving at dawn tomorrow."

Leo grins, hoping his cheeks are too rosy, "Sounds like a plan. We'll meet you at the stables then."

\--

Yawning, Leo double checks Łi's saddles, making sure they're secure and correctly adjusted. Łi isn't making the task any easy as he wiggles in excitement, jumping around and yipping and purring loudly. Leo rubs his face and hauls himself into the saddle before starting to twist his hair into two braids, tying each braid off with a strip of leather. He adjusts his coat, not used to wearing something so long while riding, but all of his coats are Elven and they sure love long draping clothing. Not that Leo minds, he quite likes it in fact, but it's just an adjustment he hasn't fully made yet.

Hooves against the packed earth perks Łi up, which draws Leo's attention to the lumbering form of Thranduil's elk mount, the king perched elegantly on its back. Leo waves, stifling another yawn as Thranduil draws close, followed by several guards and officials on horseback. Turning Łi, Leo falls in step with the king, or more, Thranduil keeps his elk at the same pace as Leo keeps Łi, staying alongside the human.

Leo can feel excitement starting to bubble inside of him, now that he's finally in the saddle and going. He takes everything in, now that he's not flying through the Wood Elves kingdom in a barrel getting attacked on both sides by orcs. Even though they move at a trot, Leo still manages to get a better feel for this land than before.

The trees are massive and unlike the ones that he traversed through with the Company. These ones are free of the disease, whatever disease it is, all of them lush and healthy, still green despite the chill in the air from the earliest nips of winter. Though some trees do show signs of autumn, their leaves bright oranges and reds. Leo notices as well, just how regal Thranduil looks.

His long, pale golden hair is perfect without a strand out of place, his posture is poised and straight, his silver clothing without a wrinkle or imperfection. He wears a crown of branches and red berries and leaves, similar to those that fall around the traveling party. When the king glances to the side, towards Leo, the human feels his heartbeat pick up and warmth spreads to his cheeks as he looks away.

This is going to be a long trip.

\--

They manage to reach Dale just as the sun starts to dip below the mountains. The city is bustling even this late into the evening and Leo's in awe of the repairs that have already happened in such a short amount of time. 

The traveling group draws in a lot of attention - granted they _are_ six elves on horseback, the King of the Woodland Elves on a massive elk and a strange, tiny human on a hulking unknown beast - and Leo feels him shrink a little under all the stares from the townspeople as they pass through the gates and into the city proper.

"It is an honour to see you again, King Thranduil."

Leo perks up at the familiar voice. Bard, if his memory is correct. Thranduil nods his head in greeting.

"Thank you for allowing us passage through to Erebor, King of Dale."

"King?" Leo stutters, stretching his neck out to catch a better glimpse of the man.

He wears nothing regal or fancy, similar clothes to when they fought alongside each other two months prior. Bard notices Leo and smiles, nodding towards him as well.

"I'm glad to see you've recovered from your injuries."

Leo rubs his arm, "Thank you, uh, congrats on becoming king?"

Bard merely nods and begins to walk slightly ahead of Thranduil, the party now forced to walk single file for the most part, through the narrow streets. Leo tunes out most of Thranduil and Bard's conversation, taking in the bustle of the city as people dart through the streets with last minute errands or try to push whatever repairs they work on until the final bit of light forces them to cease for the night. He catches a glimpse of the marketplace and he longs to go and shop, see what wares they sell here. He'll have to come by one day while Thranduil has his meetings. Surely one of his dwarven friends would come with him.

Soon enough they find themselves at the only bridge in use leading towards Erebor. Leo brings Łi to a stop next to Thranduil, looking out on the expansive plain between them and their destination. The moorbounder starts to get antsy, his muscles tensing and Leo knows immediately that Łi wants to run. A wicked smile curls across his face.

"Hey," He says, looking over to the Elvenking, "Wanna race to Erebor?"

Thranduil looks surprised, "Oh?"

Leo shifts in the saddle, "Łi wants to run and-" He sends a sly smile to Thranduil- "When I win, I want some of those little rose cakes when we get back home."

Something flashes across Thranduil's face as Leo realises what he said, his face flushing bright red. He forces himself to keep looking at Thranduil, however, watching a smirk pull at the king's lips.

"And what, pray tell, makes you believe you will best me and my mount?"

"Because I have never encountered anything that could outrun a moorbounder."

Thranduil's smirk grows a little, "Is that so? aAnd what shall I receive if I win?"

Leo bites his tongue as he grins, cheeks still a little warm, "Well, you're not gonna win so you don't have to worry about that."

The elf raises an eyebrow, "You sure sound confident."

Leo smiles and makes sure Łi is even with Thranduil's elk, "Hey, Bard? Can you give us a start?"

The human blinks, seeming to go through twelve different emotions at once at the thought of the Elvenking he thought so arrogant and cold racing this human on a strange feline beast to Erebor like children, before sighing.

"Alright. Go."

Leo shakes Łi's reins, " _Łki_!"

The moorbounder bolts as Thranduil commands something in Sindarin and the elk follows suit, galloping alongside the moorbounder before pulling ahead. Leo leans down against Łi, a grin across his face

"That's it, Łi. Pace yourself then full dash."

Łi tosses his head, growling as the elk gains a little more distance. Leo grips tightly onto the reins, feeling the night air whiz by and the cold prick his face. He clicks his tongue and Łi picks up speed, dashing up and passing Thranduil. The human laughs loudly, cheering as he whips ahead of the elf. As the two pull ahead, Leo leans back and lets go of the reins, holding his arms out wide as Łi sprints closer towards the grand doors of Erebor. Winds whips his braids behind him as he closes his eyes, his smile wide across his face.

The moorbounder slides to a stop along the repaired bridge to Erebor, panting heavily, Leo's chest heaving as well. He leans down and pats Łi's shoulder, his grin never falling from his lips. Thranduil arrives several seconds later, his elk panting. Leo pulls himself up, smiling widely toward the elf.

"Can't wait for those rose cakes."

Thranduil laughs then, a full laugh, not just a passing chuckle. Leo's eyes widen and he feels his heart skip a beat. He has never heard the elf before him laugh like this and he immediately wants to hear it more. He bites his lip, telling himself to stop it, since Thranduil himself said he already found his 'One' but he can't help it.

It's in that very moment that Leonardo falls in love with Thranduil.

And that terrifies him.


	14. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, cocking a glock: just give me a universal currency, mr jolkien rolkien rolkien tolkien
> 
> j r r tolkien: heres 26 different currencies all with different names and different values
> 
> anyway, i chose to work with lotrrpg currency bc its the most simple and aounds universal - copperpenny, silverpenny, silverpiece, goldpenny and goldpiece
> 
> in dnd the currency is copper piece, silver piece, electrum piece (which i have Never heard of anyone using), gold piece and platinum piece
> 
> also sorry to vaguely info dump about flowers but i am a simple autistic man, and flowers are one of my special interests

For being in the middle of dramatic repairs and having lost so many a mere two months ago, the atmosphere of Dale is bright, optimistic. Children play in the streets, there's laughter and song as people work on repairs and go about their new life. However, that's not to say that there isn't a sad air to every person. There are quite a few somber corners of a grieving mother pausing to wipe her tears, of an elderly man having to stop after smelling the same flowers his wife would wear, of a child asking for a gold to buy some bread. But each person in this city helps each other. Another woman embraces the mother, a young man helping the elderly man home, a young girl sharing her bread with the child.

It fills Leo's heart with joy seeing everyone help uplift and support each other as he waits near the gates leading towards Erebor. Kíli had agreed to meet him in Dale to show him around after he, Thranduil and the other elves arrived in Erebor last night.

It had been a happy reunion, Leo embracing each of the dwarves he had traveled with for over a year. Although, it had been cut short when they had to return to their duties and work and Leo planned to spend time with each of them during the week he was to stay. And first was Kíli. 

The young man can't get Thranduil's laughter out of his head and Leo's still bothered by the fluttering in his chest after the race. He hopes it's a passing, stupid crush like the one he had on Molly back during the circus, or the ones he had on the other men of his old group. Thranduil said himself that he thinks he found his 'One', if Leo falls in love then-

"Leo!"

Startled out of his thoughts, Leo looks down the bridge, spotting the familiar dwarf making his way towards the city, followed by a red-haired woman. Leo smiles and waves, excited to see his friend again as well as having a distraction from his thoughts.

Kíli holds his arms out as Leo hugs him around the shoulders, "It's so good to see you again!"

"It's good to see you as well," Kíli says, reaching up and rubbing the top of Leo's head, "You got a fancy new marking on your forehead."

Leo laughs, ducking away from Kílims hand, "Yeah, it's a weird story."

He looks over to the woman, who he vaguely remembers from prior, "I'm not sure we've formally met. I'm Leo."

The woman, an elf, nods her head, "I am Tauriel. It's a pleasure to formally meet you."

"We've been courting since the battle," Kíli says with a smile, reaching for her hand and entwining their fingers together, giving her knuckles a kiss.

Leo clasps his hands together, "Oh, congrats! I'm so happy for the both of you!"

Kíli grins and looks around, "Where's that big beast of yours?"

"He wanted to stay in Erebor to cause problems on purpose," Leo shrugs, turning and motioning for Kíli and Tauriel to lead the way, "He probably just wants to torment Nori or Óin or steal yarn from Ori."

Kíli laughs as he makes his way into the city, swinging Tauriel's hand gently, "Of course that big lug is."

"How did you ever tame such a creature?" Tauriel asks, tilting her head a little.

"Well," Leo starts, sliding out of the way of some children running by, "I didn't really. Found him as a baby, didn't even have his eyes open, and took care of him. Me and the circus I was with raised him. Mostly me and occasionally Yasha, but they all helped. We had no idea what he was, he just kept growing and growing. I have a feeling Kylre knew but didn't tell us. He was the most nervous around him."

"And what… is he?"

"A moorbounder," Leo replies simply.

"I… see…"

They all three step into the marketplace, even more bustling and busy than when Leo passed by the previous night. His eyes widen in awe as he takes it all in. People shouting out their wares, haggling prices, the clinking of coins, the smells of meats and baked goods, it's almost overwhelming. He jumps when Kíli pats his back.

"I know a stall I think you'd enjoy," the dwarf says with a grin, then pushes into the crowd, Tauriel trailing behind, their hands tethering them together.

Leo follows suit, trying to weave through the small gaps but eventually reaching out and clinging onto the back of Tauriel's tunic, apologising as he grabs a hold. The three make their way to a small stall, tucked into a corner. Leo gasps as he takes it in.

Flowers of every possible colour fill the small corner stall, covering it and almost disguising it as an elaborate decorative planter and not a shop. Pure joy fills Leo's entire body, even feeling the small prickling of tears in his eyes. Kíli notices and elbows him.

"Hey, come now, I don't wanna explain to the king elf why you were crying."

Leo just smiles brightly, "You remembered me talking about flowers."

Kíli grins back, "Of course, you were so happy when you talked about them, then when this stand popped up, I knew someone had to show you."

The young human's smile grows wider and he beelines towards the flower stand, trailing his fingers gently across the petals of a gladiolus. Kíli and Tauriel follow behind and the dwarf grabs the human, pulling him down just a tiny bit to whisper to him, "Though, be warned. Ori is convinced this woman is a witch."

Leo just bobs his head, enraptured by the seemingly glowing hyacinths and peonies. Half of these flowers shouldn't even grow at the same time and definitely not right at the end trails of autumn. It reminds the young man of Flemish Baroque floral paintings. A bundle of bright delphiniums stands in full bloom right next to sunny daffodils, an amaryllis paired with sunflowers, tulips in an arrangement with hydrangeas.

"Hello there, young man," An old woman's voice greets from the other side of the wall of flowers. Leo takes a moment and finds a small window through the petals to see the woman peeking out. 

She's very old, with a bright blue cloth wrapped around her head, heavy gold earrings, her dark skin wrinkled and a shining smile that lights up her eyes.

Leo smiles back, "Good morning! Your flowers are amazing, do you grow them yourself?"

"That I do," She said, proudly, "Live out on my own little bit of land where I grow them all. Heard that Dale was reclaimed and got on over here to sell some freshly cut flowers."

Leo's fingers trace the edges of a carnation, "They're beautiful, your garden must be a wonder to see."

The woman's smile grows, "That it is, dear boy. Take care of all on my own."

"I do have a question," Leo says, leaning in a little closer, "Some of these don't bloom at the same time of year, how did you get them all to be at full bloom at the same time?"

The woman's eyes twinkle as she leans in as well, lowering her voice, "You sure know your flowers. You're the first person to notice. It's simple. Magic."

She winks as she leans back and Leo smiles, eyes lighting up. It's been so long since he's seen magic so casually used. He remembers all the times Caduceus, Caleb and Jester would prank the others with their spells and lets out a sigh. As he leans back, one flower catches his eye.

A bright yellow green with narrow petals sticking out in all directions, the entire flower the size of both his fists. He lets out a gentle gasp, reaching up towards it.

"How much for the spider chrysanthemum?"

The woman pauses, "For the green one? 2 silverpennies."

Leo digs out his coin purse then frowns, realising only now that the coins he still carries are the ones from Wildemount.

"Uh, give me a second."

He turns to Kíli, "Hey, uh, what a silverpenny? And do you think this is valid here?"

Leo holds a silver piece in his fingers, one of the few in his bag of primarily gold and platinum. Kíli looks it over, then glances into the bag, his eyes bulging at the sight. The dwarf leans in close, taking the coinpurse from Leo's hands as if to see if it was real.

"By Durin's beard, how did you get this much silver and gold?"

Leo shrugs, "Well, one, it's mostly gold and platinum, and two, my old group and I did a lot of mercenary work for… independent… businessmen… who were very rich… Anyway, that doesn't answer my question."

"I have no clue honestly," Kíli replies, passing the coinpurse back to Leo. 

The young man playfully slaps his shoulder, "You're no help."

He returns to the stall and pulls out a gold piece, "I have this, would it work?" 

The woman's eyes widen, "That's gold, but I surely have never seen currency like this in all my years."

The young man shifts nervously but the woman shrugs, "Gold's gold as far as I'm concerned. Pick some more, dear boy, you've given me just about three days' worth of sales."

Leo blinks, then smiles widely, "Thank you! I'll pick some more out, do you think I could come by later so they don't wilt?"

The woman laughs, "Oh you don't need to worry about that, my flowers are special."

With a shared laugh, Leo picks out several more flowers - soft blue delphiniums, pink hydrangeas and white roses. He goes to pick the chrysanthemum as well when a dark purple stops him. A single stem of purple hollyhock sits proudly in the corner. Leo completely freezes, his heart pounding in his ears. On impulse, he digs out the silver piece and slides it across the counter.

"For the hollyhock."

The woman seems to be about to say otherwise, to tell him the gold piece was plenty, but stops at the sight of Leo's face. 

"It's all yours, dear boy."

The woman bundles the bouquet up, wrapping the chrysanthemum and the hollyhock separately, then passes them over. Leo thanks her multiple times as Kíli starts to pull him away.

"What was that all about over some flower?" the dwarf asks once they're all a little ways away.

Leo rubs the soft, purple petal with his fingers gently, "I used to call Molly 'hollyhock'... as a nickname since his name is Mollymauk… This purple… It's almost the same as his skin."

Kíli nods, understanding somewhat. Leo hadn't talked much about Molly with the Company, maybe once or twice. All the young dwarf knew was that Molly was important to Leo and that he was dead.

The dwarf jumps as Leo slaps his own cheeks, "Alright, anyway! Let's continue! I smell something really good over here."

Kíli looks up at Tauriel as Leo heads towards a baker, the elf returning his look with a soft smile, taking the dwarf's hand and giving it a squeeze, making to follow the small human with an arm full of flowers.

\--

"So," Kíli starts, kicking his feet over the wall the three have perched on to eat lunch, "Heard how you and the Elf King came into the Lonely Mountain all out of breath. The folks on the wall said that the elf chased you to Erebor then laughed when he got here."

Leo laughs a little while Tauriel chokes on her bread. 

"Pardon?" The elven woman asks, her eyes wide.

The human shrugs, "We raced to Erebor from here - Łi wanted to run and I bet Thranduil for some rose cakes that I could beat him and, yeah. That's all, he wasn't chasing me, he was just losing."

Tauriel's eyes grow even wider, "He agreed to race you? And you won?"

Leo nods, taking another bite of bread, "Yep! Nothing's faster than Łi."

The elf shakes her head in wonder, "That is so unlike him. And people are saying he laughed?"

Leo feels his cheeks warm at the memory, "Yeah, he did."

Kíli's eyes narrow, a grin pulling on his lips, "What's with the red cheeks, Leo?"

"What?" The human sputters, blinking, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure," Kíli says, "And I'm King Under the Mountain. I know you think elves are pretty, too, but setting your sights on the king of all elves, you've got your sights set high."

Tauriel's mouth falls open, "Are you in love with the king?"

Leo panics, "No! I… I don't know… He's been so nice to me over the past few weeks. It's probably just passing, I always get crushes on men who are nice to me since I'm so unused to people being kind to me."

Kíli slaps Leo on the back, "You've obviously been busy these past two months if you've already got him wrapped around your pinky so much."

Leo regrets taking a sip from his waterskin in the very moment as it gets sent down the wrong pipe as he chokes, "I fucking swear!"

Kíli just laughs, slapping Leo's back a few more times to help the young man. Tauriel passes a handkerchief to him and the young man wipes his mouth, taking some deep breaths.

"I was _unconscious_ for three of those weeks, y'know."

Kíli just laughs and continues to eat.

\--

Oranges and pinks decorate the sky as the three make their way back into Erebor, having spent the majority of the day wandering the marketplace of Dale and then the city itself. Leo had even grabbed a small chocolate pastry to give to Thranduil, as well as a dozen other sweet pastries to hand out to his old friends. 

Kíli guides Leo towards the guest quarters and bids him farewell with an exaggerated bow (in doing so, the dwarf nearly falls on his face, which Leo is determined to never let him forget) before heading off with Tauriel, promising to see him again at dinner. 

Leo smiles as he pushes the door open with his back, his arms full of pastries and flowers. He sets to work finding something to use as a vase for the bouquet, deciding on some pitcher that had been placed, likely for the occupant if they needed a drink. With a shrug, Leo begins cutting the flowers, sitting the hollyhock and chrysanthemum to the side and beginning to sing a soft tube from his home world. He gets so fixated and focused that he doesn't notice the door open.

Thranduil, having largely spent the day at a council with King Dáin and several advisors from Erebor, Dale and his kingdom, wanted nothing more than to relax for the hour before dinner, then eat, bathe and go to sleep. It feels like centuries since he last negotiated with Outsiders and he had nearly forgotten how taxing it was. He stops as he pushes the door open, hearing a song being sung from inside his room.

He steps in, on edge, but relaxes as soon as he sees the familiar small figure of Leo, arranging a bouquet of flowers in the water pitcher. He can't help a smile crawl across his lips at the sight, though, he is a touch confused on why the young man decided to arrange flowers in his room, rather than his own.

"Leonardo, what are you doing here?"

Leo yelps and jumps, twirling around. He brings a hand to his chest and lets out a breath when he sees that it is only Thranduil, the king's face confused.

"Uh, I could ask you the same?"

"These are my chambers for the week."

Leo pales, "What? Oh fuck, I'm so sorry, oh Gods. Kíli told me this was my room, I'm sorry, I'll get outta here right away."

He frantically gathers up the flowers, cussing at both himself and Kíli softly. A hand touches his arm, startling the poor man further, but causing him to pause as well. 

Thranduil smiles softly, "No need for apologies, little one. If memory serves correctly, your chambers are opposite mine, it was a mere mistake. But, I must ask, what is all of this?"

Leo takes a breath, trying to even his breathing and not panic too much. Thranduil isn't mad, he repeats in his head, he isn't mad.

"Kíli and Tauriel took me around the marketplace and I found a florist and I got a little excited and bought a bunch of flowers… I used to make arrangements for a job, back in my home world. It's been a really long time since I made an arrangement."

Thranduil's hand leaves Leo arm, moving to trail over the flowers instead, "They are beautiful, you have a good eye."

Leo feels his face grow warmer, "Thank you. I really missed working with plants and flowers."

The king's hand moves towards the two separate flowers - the hollyhock and the chrysanthemum, "And what of these two?"

"They…" Leo bites his tongue, "The spider 'mum, the green one, is my favourite flower and my favourite colouration. The hollyhock, the purple one… It…"

Leo sighs, shoulders slouching, "I used to call Molly 'hollyhock' sometimes. And the purple, it's nearly the same as his skin."

"Your friend… was purple?"

Leo looks up and has to hold in a laugh at the confusion covering Thranduil's face.

"He was. He was a tiefling, a race of people from the world I was in previously that, hm… their bloodlines are from demons and they're all sorts of colours. Molly was purple, a lavender colour, like these flowers, Jester is a deep blue and her mother is bright red. Jester got her colour mostly from her dad, since he's also blue. They have tails and horns and hooves as well - Molly's were big and curved around his face and out while Jester's are little curly-cues but her mother's are massive and super curly. Molly had big, clonky hooves, Jester's are small and deer-like and her mother's very similar."

Thranduil hums, "That is most interesting."

Leo nods, then goes to gather the pitcher full of flowers and the two separate flowers in his arms before stopping and turning on his heel, "Oh! I got you something while at the market."

He goes over to the small table nearby and pulls out the packaged chocolate pastry and hands it to Thranduil, "I got pasties for the dwarves and felt bad not getting you something so… I hope it's good! I can't eat chocolate but I know most people like it."

The Elvenking takes the small box carefully, "Thank you, Leonardo, this is most kind of you."

Leo smiles and gathers up the pitcher full of flowers, the two other flowers and the box of pastries for his friends, somehow managing to balance them all in his arms, "Well, uh, I'll see you at dinner then!"

The human darts out of the room, across the hall and into his actual chambers, finding Łi snoozing across the bed, belly up and back leg twitching as he dreams. Leo sighs to himself, setting the pitcher and pastries down and slides to the floor, his head in his hands and forces his heart to stop pounding and his cheeks to cool.


	15. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back at it again with critical role episode 26 spoilers

_Cold wind, carrying the chill of winter, blows across the road. The grass sways with the breeze and his hair covers his face. Morning birds chirp in the distance, deep in the woods, looking for their morning meal in the underbrush. He watches every puff of breath leave his lips, the world slowing as he turns his head._

_Three carts are stopped in the road by a tree branch. The sounds of a battle ring out loudly through the otherwise quiet morning. There was clanging of metal on metal as a dwarvish woman in heavy armour deflects a crossbow bolt. The slamming of wood on flesh as a brown skinned woman standing on top of one of the carts swings her bō staff against a large, bald man covered in tattoos who was currently partly on fire._

_A purple figure rushes in, throwing their arm out as blood drips down their face from their eyes and mouth, before falling to one knee, holding themself up a glass, glowing scimitar._

_The giant man moves closer, a wicked, sadistic grin on his face as he raises his glaive._

_There's a sickening crunch as the glaive pierces the purple person's chest, shattering their ribcage. Organs tear as he pushes the glaive in further, slowly, taking pleasure in the pain of the purple tiefling._

_A blood curdling scream from the viewer of the scene breaks the quiet, his throat straining out Molly's name in pure agony as the purple tiefling spits blood in the face of the giant man and falls limp, solid red eyes never shut._

_The scream continues, turning into a wailing screech, broken and painful._

Leo sits up in a sweat, screaming, the same gut wrenching shriek. He slaps a hand over his mouth, his eyes full of tears that cascade down and over his hand. His heart beats erratically, pounding against his chest. His body trembles.

Łi whimpers as he worms his head into Leo's lap. The door to his chamber slams open, making Leo yell out in fear, his vision blurred by his tears. The figure is by his side in a second, hands reaching out and pulling him into a chest, petting his hair and hushing him. Leo grabs onto the arm of the figure, sobbing into the fabric of the figure's clothing.

"You are safe, you are safe, it is alright," Thranduil repeats, rocking the young man gently, "You are alright, _meloth nîn_. What has happened?"

Leo flounders, his voice crackling between hiccups, "I-I was there again. I was on that fucking hill. Lorenzo had Molly, then Molly was on the ground and the sound-" Leo curls in on himself, his hands covering his ears as he trembles and cries, "The sound of his ribcage breaking, the organs ripping, the flesh tearing, the blood on the ground, the red stained dirt. A-and the sound, the sound, the sound."

Thranduil pulls the human closer, Łi wiggling in to rest his head in Leo's lap again, petting his head and resting his head on top of the crying man's, "It is alright, I am right here. You are not there, you are here as well, in Erebor."

"It's nearing the anniversary," Leo's voice is nearly a whisper, his throat strained, "It was the first snow when we buried him. I just…"

The Elvenking holds the man tighter, letting Leo unleash his emotions, letting it all out. He rubs the human's back and arms, trying to engulf Leo to act as as much comfort as possible. Leoks hands find their way to Thranduil's sleeping robes, balling the fine silk in his fists.

The three sit like that for a long while, Thranduil rocking back and forth gently until Leo's hard sobs are slowed to hiccups and his breath evens out. The young man pulls away first, rubbing his eyes to rid himself of the tears.

"I'm so sorry, my King, I just… I wrinkled your clothes."

Thranduil sighs and looks over the man with an expression of concern, "That is of no importance right now. Are you alright?"

Leo stays quiet, wiping his cheeks with one hand and petting Łi with the other, "… I will be. I just…"

The young man falls quiet again, hands shaking. He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes.

"I-I don't wanna sleep alone tonight," Leo whimpers.

Thranduil tucks some of his messy hair behind his ear, "I fear that if I am not in my chambers come morning, the others will surely panic, however, you are most welcome to return there with me."

Leo nods his head, "Can Łi come?"

"Of course," Thranduil says and it takes every muscle in his body to restrain himself from kissing the young man's forehead. 

Instead, he forces himself to stand, and holds a hand out for Leo. The young man rubs his eyes once more, then slides out of bed, taking Thranduil's hand as he stands. The elf doesn't let go as he guides Leo out of the chambers, Łi padding after the two and into the open doors of Thranduil's chambers. The two men make their way into the chambers, the Elvenking shutting the door behind them.

Leo stands in the centre of the room a little awkwardly, shifting his weight and watching Łi walk in a circle once, twice, three times before curling up right against the bed, his chin on the blankets. He jumps when Thranduil touches his shoulder and lets the taller guide him to the bed and under the silken sheets. Leo stays stock-still on his back, staring at the ceiling through the dark as Thranduil slides into bed next to him. The bed is large enough that there's nearly a foot of space between them even with both on their backs, though Leo is awfully small nonetheless.

They lay in silence, Leo's mind running a thousand miles, unable to get the image of Molly's body discarded on the dirt road out of his head.

"Tell me," Thranduil breaks the silence, his voice soft, not as demanding as when he speaks to his people or in councils, "What was your best memory of your friend?"

Leo blinks, turning his head, though he can't make out much in the dark, just the vague profile of the elf next to him. He hums as he turns his head back to face the ceiling.

"We had just arrived in a town, a small town, we only ever performed there once. Molly had finally become 'Molly', he'd been speaking for over a month and Gustav decided to give him a task - scam the town. And Molly took that and ran with it."

Leo laughs a little, "He started telling this town, fuck, what town was it… Deastock, I think. He marched into Deastock and started spinning this bug, elaborate tale that he was a reincarnation of a king from overseas! He spent three whole weeks with this act and everyone bought it! They were feeding him the finest fruits and wines and they gave him the best room in the whole town. It was the first time since I woke up in that world that I slept in an actual bed and not just a bedroll or a cot."

The young man smiles, nestling into the pillows and soft bed, feeling his eyes grow heavy. Thranduil chuckles, "Did your friend always do things such as that?"

"Yeah, Molly was chaotic as fuck. He had no memories prior to crawling himself out of a grave so he really went wild with that, making up a new backstory for every person who would ask. He told the group we were with that his family had been sacrificed religiously to the swords he used - the glass prop swords he got from the circus. He just had fun making stories for himself. It was never anything harmful or terrible.

"He had two mottos he lived by - 'try everything once' and 'leave every place better than you found it'. I've… been trying to live by the second as best as I could and I think I have."

There's the sound of sheets rustling as Thranduil shifts, "You mentioned a circus, you used to perform?"

Leo nods, then realises that Thranduil likely couldn't see him, "Yeah, I was an aerial dancer - high beams, silks, hoops, tightrope, all that stuff."

Thranduil hums, "I do not believe ai have ever seen anything such as that in my lifetime."

"It's so much fun, I loved it so much. I-" Leo breaks off with a yawn, "Sorry, but yeah. I miss it sometimes."

"Do not apologise, rest."

Leo makes a noise of agreement, rolling onto his side, facing towards Thranduil and curls up, Łi moving his head to rest against Leo's back.

"Good night, Thranduil…" Leo says, closing his eyes and before he even knows it, he's fallen back to sleep.

\--

Thranduil, on his side facing Leo, watches as the young man's breathing evens out and his body relaxes. He reaches out and brushes some hair that has escaped Leo's dual braids away from his face. 

Never in the thousands of years Thranduil has lived has he heard such a horrific scream that came from Leo's room less than an hour ago. He has heard tales of men, dwarves and elves going mad after witnessing deaths of friends and loved ones, even the deaths of people they hardly knew. 

After his father's death, Thranduil didn't have long to mourn, immediately being crowned king. He hadn't witnessed his father's death, seeing the body briefly before the burial. He has seen many die, and countless bodies through his life, but hardly ever has he ever watched someone dear to him die, not that he's had many dear to him. 

And yet, this young man, this barely a quarter of a century old human, has watched one of his dearest friends be killed brutally in front of his own eyes. 

Thranduil's fingers brush over Leo's cheek then traces the crescent moon on his forehead. When Leo scrunches his face up and nuzzles into the pillow, the Elvenking freezes, waiting until the young man settles before pulling his hand away, letting out a sigh and closing his eyes.


	16. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naxe - two - command for "down"
> 
> til that dwarves p much said "gender? dont know her" therefore imo all dwarves are bi and decide their own gender when they are ready, none of this assigned bs we have to deal w

It's strange not being woken by the morning sunlight. In Mirkwood, Leo had always been woken by an annoying slit in the curtain to the small balcony attached to his chambers. No matter how hard he tried, the sun would always shine through and land right across his eyes.

Yet, currently, he's merely woken naturally, blinking his eyes to adjust to the dim chambers. He rubs his eyes to get the sleep out of them, then tries to shift to start to get ready for the day. Afterall, he made plans to have breakfast with Bombur, his husband and their children. However, he's stopped by a weight across his waist. He grumbles, bringing his arms up to shove Łi's paw off of him but stops when he doesn't feel the short, coarse fur of his beast companion.

Instead he feels smooth, soft flesh and silken fabric. He freezes, going deathly still. Then he remembers - the nightmare, Thranduil rushing in, falling asleep in the king's chambers. His cheeks grow hot as he realises where he is, while simultaneously breaking into a cold sweat everywhere else. He cranes his neck, and finds Thranduil laying on his stomach, one arm thrown over Leo while the other is tucked under his pillow. The young man's lips part in awe as he takes in the figure of the sleeping king.

His pale golden hair lays across his back, somehow still perfectly in order (Leo is almost jealous, his hair is a mess and half of it has escaped his braids through the night), his skin that is exposed is without any blemish or marring, his lashes long and dark, his face calm, relaxed. Leo feels his heart skip a beat. It's been so terribly long since he's been cuddled - he and Yasha would curl up together when they made camp for the night usually, so he thinks his last time was over a year ago. Desperately, he wants to just lay there and enjoy the skinship and contact, but he promised Bombur breakfast.

Slowly, gently, Leo slides himself out from Thranduil's hold and out of bed. He sighs of relief when the king does not awaken, then nudges Łi awake to head back to his own chambers. As he opens the chamber door, he pauses, then lets Łi out, who sleepily trudges back to Leo's chambers, closes the door and hastily finds some parchment, a quill and an inkwell to scribble a quick note for Thranduil. He leaves it on the bedside table and takes his leave, as quiet as possible.

\--

When Thranduil wakes, the sheets are still warm from Leo's body heat. The king sleepily feels around the bed, then opens his eyes when he feels it empty. He pushes himself up and looks around, not even seeing the moorbounder asleep on the side of the bed. He does notice the note and reaches over to read it.

He smiles as he reads the quickly scribbled words, sitting fully upright on the edge of the bed.

_'King Thranduil,_

_Thank you for letting me sleep here, I know I had to have been a mess and gross and snotty. It really, really, really means a lot to me. I have to go get breakfast with Bombur and his family, and I'll be having lunch with Dori and Ori so I might not get to see you until dinner, but yeah. Thank you again, I owe you one._

_-Leo'_

\--

"Why, if it isn't Leo!"

The young man smiles, throwing his arms around Bombur, "It's so good to see you again! You look so good!"

Bonbur smiles and pulls away, patting Leo's arms, then pulling another dwarf closer, "This is Dwimir, my husband."

Dwimir is slightly shorter than Bombur, with a round, dark tan face covered partly by a large dark brown beard tied into three braids, with his moustache tied into two, long, thin braids as well. His hair is long and mostly straight down his back and brushed away from his face. He smiles brightly, his dark eyes brightening.

Leo bobs his head, smiling widely, "It's wonderful to meet you."

"And you as well, Leo! Bombur talks a lot about your adventures," Dwimir says, then steps up to the young man and gives him a solid hug around the waist.

Leo leans into it, patting the dwarf on the shoulders. As he pulls away, two small child peek out from behind Bombur, one with a mess of red hair that seems to have been attempted to be tamed into two large braids and little puffs of red on their cheeks, the other with black hair that's cropped to their shoulders but sticks out in every direction.

Leo crouches down, squatting to be close to their height and smiles, "And who are you two?"

The red haired one peeks a little further out, "I'm Thormir and this is my brother Glómir. I'm five."

Glómir shyly hids behind Bombur a little further, eyes darting over the human, before settling behind him. The small child stretches his neck out, his dark eyes wide and his mouth gasping. Leo turns his head and sighs as he sees his moorbounder sitting behind him, tongue lolling out and scratching an itch on his side.

Leo turns back to the child, "That's my friend, Łi. Would you like to meet him?"

The child pauses, then looks at both of his fathers, then nods rapidly. Leo glances at his parents. Dwimir holds his hands up, seemingly alarmed by the idea, but Bombur puts a hand on his shoulder, nodding.

Leo smiles and stands, holding his hand out for Glómir. He takes it gently, holding onto Leo's fingers and walks with him to Łi. The moorbounder stops scratching himself and looks down at the tiny child. Leo feels a pair of small hands grab onto the other side of his robes and looks down to see Thormir looking up at the beast as well.

"Łi, _naxe_."

The moorbounder lowers himself, resting his head on his paws.

"Now," Leo says, kneeling down, "This is Łi. He is very nice and very gentle. Don't tug on his whiskers or ears, but you can pet him and climb on him too."

Thormir goes up first, raising their hand and gently patting Łi's head. Glómir follows suit, waddling up beside his sibling and petting Łi's head as well. The beast closes his eyes and begins to purr, making both children laugh.

Leo stands up and turns back towards Bombur and Dwimir, "He's good with kids, no worries. My group had a little girl with us for a bit and I left him in charge of protecting her and some other children once before. Plus a member of my group was a mother and her son climbed all over Łi."

This seems to calm Dwimir a little and Bombur laughs, "Well then, shall we start breakfast?"

\--

It's amazing to see his friends in their natural habitat. The entire morning, Bombur seemed so much happier in his little home with his children and husband. Toys littered the home in all stages of development and Leo marveled at each and every one of Bombur's creations. Since Erebor and Dale were both back up and running more or less, Bombur had been able to get a decent little business making toys for all the children in Dale and the children returning to the mountain. 

Saying farewell isn't terribly difficult, Leo knowing he'll be back to visit soon, and he gives each of the dwarves a hug. Both children protest when Łi stands, his stumpy tail wagging. Leo helps them both down, settling them each gently on the ground before squatting down.

"No worries," He says, ruffling Glómir's hair, "Łi doesn't let me go anywhere without him, so every time I visit, he'll be here too!"

The children smile, excitedly and Thormir hugs Leo's legs as the human stands back up. He pats their head and waves as he and Łi start to head off, towards where he planned to meet with Ori and Dori for lunch. 

He's not paying much attention when he turns a corner and walks right into someone. He stumbles but their hands fly out and grab his arms as Łi slides forward and shoves his head against Leo's back to brace the young man.

He blinks and looks up, Thranduil standing over him, keeping him steady.

"Well, hello there," Leo says, smiling, "Fancy running into you here."

Thranduil chuckles and helps Leo to straight upright, "Are you alright, Leonardo?"

Leo nods, "Yeah, thanks for the catch. And uh…"

He feels his cheeks light up, remembering his last encounter with the Elvenking and embarrassment spreading through his body, "Sorry about last night, but thank you for dealing with all that.I know I'm a messy crier and all that."

Thranduil shakes his head, "Nonsense. I am glad to have been there for you."

Leo feels his heart skip a beat, becoming hyper aware of Thranduil's hands still resting on his arms. A shock goes through his heart when he realises that he doesn't want him to let go. They stare at each other for a beat before Thranduil, seemingly reluctantly, pulls his hands away, his fingers lingering for as long as they can. He stands straight once more, smoothing his robes draping elegantly over his form, the long train dragging well behind him. 

He bows his head, "I shall see you at dinner tonight, _mellonen_."

"Y-Yeah, you too," Leo flinches slightly at the stutter and hopes his cheeks aren't too red as they both part ways.

Leo rushes down the hallway, feeling his cheeks still burning and his robe flowing behind him, Łi keeping pace easily. Once decently away, Leo leans against a wall and sighs, rubbing his face. 

He curses his heart for falling for Thranduil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naxe - two - command for "down"
> 
> i would die for glómir and thormir. thormir is non-binary, they use they/them pronouns. also dwimir is based on my warden from dragon age just minus the tattoos akdndkcnd


	17. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for a delay! i've had writers block a little plus i moved back to the city and am busy unpacking

The halls of Erebor are quiet, save for a few guards scattered around or some dwarf running a late night errand. Leo, followed, of course, by Łi, makes his way back to his chambers, covering a yawn with his hands. Bofur had swept him away after dinner, giving him a grand tour of all the little, hidden and secret spots of Erebor, then, as Bofur got some alcohol in his system, started to tell tales of their childhoods and before either of them knew it, it was well past midnight.

As Leo covers another yawn (Łi yawns as well, stretching his legs out as he walks), movement ahead catches Leo's attention. He pauses in the hall, his companion bumping into his back as he does so. 

Thranduil stalks several hundred feet ahead of him, storming up the hall, his robes gliding behind him, anger radiating off of his entire being. He shoves his chamber door open and slams it behind him, the noise making Leo jump despite watching it all unfold. Worry eats at the young man, but the icy hands of fear freeze him to the spot. He has never been good with people who are angry, especially when they're other men. Łi nudges his arm with his head, rumbling. With a deep, shaking breath, Leo slowly makes his way further down the hall, the hallway seeming to grow longer the further he travels down it. After what feels like much too long, he stops in front of Thranduil's quarters.

The thick, stone walls of Erebor muffle any noise that comes from inside. He reaches to knock, then hesitates and pulls his hand back to his chest. He stands in the hall, debating with himself. He wants to help Thranduil, to learn why the Elvenking is so angry, if there is anything he could do to aid or help calm him. Yet the fear of the anger being directed at him holds him back, chaining him to the ground. 

A minute goes by.

Łi moves to the other side of the hallway, flopping to the ground in front of Leo's chambers.

Five minutes go by.

Leo chews his lips, rocking on his heels and brings his hand up again, then stops once more.

Five more minutes go by.

The moorbounder snores, having fallen deeply asleep as his partner stands at the door across the hall.

Five more minutes go by.

Leo knocks, softly, gently, and for a moment he feels as if he merely tapped the door.

After standing outside the door for twenty minutes, Leo huffs. With all the courage he can muster, he pushes the door open slowly. 

The room is darkened, no candles lit. It takes a moment for Leo's eyes to adjust, but he finds the room in order, the bed still made up and the blankets smooth. To the side of the room, however, light and steam trickle in through another door, the door to the private bath that Leo's chambers also has.

The young man takes a deep breath, and in a soft voice speaks, "Thranduil?"

The sound of water shifting from the bath confirms Thranduil's location. Leo slowly lets the door close, not a noise coming from the stone as he does so. As quiet as he can, he makes his way over towards the other door, worry starting to overcome the fear.

"King Thranduil?" He says softly, hoping not to provoke the elf any further.

"Enter."

Leo shifts unfortunately at the tone of Thranduil's voice, the tone much colder and harsher, more like when he first met the king. He pushes the door open.

Thranduil reclines in the large, stone bathtub, his back to Leo as the young man enters. The Elvenking has his hair draped over the edge, dangling nearly to the floor, and his arms on either side of the tub. His eyes are closed as he rests his head on the edge, tilted upward. Steam clouds the room and Leo can feel the heat of the water from where he stands.

"I heard your door slam, I wanted to check and make sure you were okay. I… I was worried," Leo keeps his voice soft and low, shifting in place.

Thranduil lifts his head and opens his eyes a crack as he looks over his shoulder, his body posture shifting just the slightest against the stone as he takes in Leo's nervous form. He sighs, leans his head back against the tub and falls quiet for a moment.

"It is merely arrogant dwarves. Drawing their meetings out well into the night, arguing and yelling back and forth, then having the gall to direct their anger towards each other at my advisors and I. This entire arrangement is a waste of my time and resources. Dwarves will always remain the same stubborn and insufferable creatures."

Leo takes a breath, letting his shoulders relax and forcing his body to do the same, "I'm sorry to hear that, my King. Is there anything I could do to help?"

The elf barks out a harsh laugh, the sound hurting Leo's heart, "No. We shall leave in the morning. I wish to sleep and return home."

"If that's what you really want to do, but if I may? Could I suggest a few ideas?" Leo bites his lip, hoping he hasn't overstepped or angered Thranduil further.

Instead, the Elvenking sighs, "You may. Sit, tell me what you have in mind."

Leo spots a stool to the side and drags it over, sitting a little nearer to the tub, but still facing Thranduil's back, unsure if he should be anywhere else. Sitting down, he folds his hands into his lap and clears his throat.

"Well, for one, um, that was wrong of them to turn on you especially after inviting you here and having meetings all day for the past four days."

Thranduil scoffs, "The nerve of them, calling us 'tree-humpers' and 'animals' and to 'die by fire' for merely saying that this is a waste of time."

Leo hums sympathetically, "I'm so sorry you had to deal with that. That was wrong of them."

He shifts a little on the stool, "But secondly, is it really right to let this deal go sour for just a few? This trade agreement, from what I've gathered, will be prosperous for both the dwarves here in Erebor as they'll be getting produce from your farms and hunts as well as artisan goods of leathers and such, while your people will be getting metals and ores and dwarven crafts. Should you let the civilians suffer for the acts from a few angered, hotheaded idiots?"

The steam feels suffocating as well as the silence that follows Leo's speech. He shifts again, nerves taking over his body.

Finally, Thranduil breaks the quiet with a sigh. His body leans further into the tub, a hand coming up to rub the bridge of his nose.

"You…" Thranduil says, his voice losing the harsh edge, "You have a point."

Leo feels all the tension leave his body, letting out a sigh of relief. Thranduil shifts, the water splashin with the movement as he twists his body to look at Leo better. The young man's breath gets caught in his throat as he taking in Thranduil's form - his unmarred skin, looking so soft and smooth, his lithe, athletic back, shoulders and arms that obviously hold much power and strength, his long, pale golden, almost white hair sticks to his neck and shoulders as he sits upright. The King turns slightly, looking over Leo. The two look at each other for a heartbeat, before Thranduil huffs and his face loses its tension, his shoulders relaxing.

"You have a way with reason, Leonardo," The Elvenking says, shifting back to his original position with his arms on the edge of the tub and his head reclined, "I shall continue the negotiations on the morrow."

Leo smiles, not that Thranduil can see, "I'm glad to have helped you, my King."

"Please, there is no need to be so formal when it is just the two of us."

"Oh," Leo blushes, red flaring across his cheeks, "Okay, sorry."

"There is no need for apologies, _mellonen_ ," Thranduil says, his arms bending at the elbows so his fingers dip into the water.

"Sor- Okay," Leo cuts himself off.

Thranduil chuckles, then the two fall quiet for a while, Leo fiddling with his hands and robes before the elf once more breaks it, "If only there were music. It is much too quiet in this city for my liking. You said you were a performer once, did you sing as well?"

Leo stammers a little, "Uh, not particularly, but I know songs from my home world that I used to sing to Łi or Kiri to get them to fall asleep, or whenever one of us would have a nightmare or something."

"Kíli?"

"Oh, no, _Kiri_ ," Leo stresses the 'r' a little more, "She was a little girl my old group and I saved from being eaten by giant alligators then kept her with us until we found a family who would take her in. Me and Jester got the most attached."

Thranduil hums, "Sing for me. I wish to rid the tension from the council this evening."

Leo is glad for the elf to be facing away from him, so he doesn't see how red his face grows, "If that's what you want, I'll try my best."

The young man clears his throat, staring down into his lap, going through songs in his head. He settles on a gentle, sad song full of metaphors and flowery language, closing his eyes as he begins to sing the first few lines. As he closes his eyes, he can almost feel the soft, downy feathers atop Kiri's head on his fingers, having sung it many times as he helped the young kenku child preen. 

He brings the song to a close, his eyes fluttering open to find Thranduil having turned around to watch him as he sang. Embarrassment flashes through his body as his blush spreads over his nose and onto his ears. Thranduil smiles, one of those that he's noticed are reserved for when they are alone together. 

\-- 

The song is unfamiliar to Thranduil, as well as many of the words. Nonetheless, the sound of Leo singing for him sends a warm feeling through his chest, a strange wave he has not felt in quite some time. As slowly and quietly as he can, he turns his body, something within him desiring to watch as Leo sings.

The young man sits fairly still, his hands entwined together on his lap, his eyes closed and long lashes resting against his cheeks. The elf's eyes drift to and from each small, silver piece of jewelry adoring the human's face, lingering longest on the matching silver cones under his lower lip. He longs to touch each piece of metal, to learn the story of each, to hold the young man's face.

As Leo finishes the song, Thranduil feels a smile tug on his lips, overwhelmed with the feelings in his heart. The young man smiles back, a little awkwardly and ducks his head down.

"You should rest, Leonardo," The king speaks, "It is late."

Leo nods, "Yeah, I'll head out. I'm glad I could have helped a little."

He stands and returns the stool back to where it had been before, smiles at Thranduil once more, then leaves, closing the door behind him. Thranduil waits, listening to hear the subtle shut of the chamber door as well before submerging himself fully into the bath then standing, his hair clinging to his back and neck.

He thinks, for a moment, that maybe he should offer Leo a position as an advisor. He shakes his head at the thought as he redresses and slides into his bed. Either way, the man does have a way with words and reasoning.

\--

Once the door to his own chambers is shut, and Łi has stopped protesting and yelling about having to move into the room, Leo slumps against the door, his heart beating rapidly. The image of Thranduil's bare skin repeats in his head, over and over and his imagination wanders, filling in the blanks and starting to plan out scenarios. His cheeks burst into flame as he rubs his face.

He crawls into bed, trying to push Łi to the side to get a little more room but giving up and curling up in the corner of the bed. 

He doesn't get much sleep that night.


End file.
